Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
Lieutenant Governor's Awards
Order of Manitoba
Recipient Biographies 1999
The Honourable Peter M. Liba, 22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004. More..
2000Israel H. Asper, OC, QC, executive chairman, CanWest Global Communications. With a career that spans law, lecturing, writing, politics and business he was twice elected to the Manitoba legislature and is a laureate of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He has received several honorary doctoral degrees and has won several international awards for entrepreneurship. More recently he has become one of Winnipeg’s most generous philanthropists.
Dr. Robert Beamish, CM, distinguished cardiologist. He is known throughout the world for his work in cardiovascular education and research. A prolific writer, he has recently co-authored a history of medicine in Manitoba and has been in many civic and cultural activities including serving as national president of the United Nations Association of Canada.
Burton Cummings, musician. He began his rock and roll career in Winnipeg in the 60s, first with The Devrons and then with The Guess Who, known for classic songs such as "American Woman." He and fellow band members were inducted into the Canadian Recording Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 1999 into the Manitoba Music Hall of Fame.
James M.C. Daly, played an instrumental role in bringing the 1967 Pan American Games to Winnipeg. An outstanding volunteer for community and sport organizations in Manitoba he has been actively involved in the Special Olympics and continues to be involved with sport activities at the International Peace Garden and the upcoming National Aboriginal Games.
W. Yvon Dumont, 21st lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1993 to 1999. He has served as president of the Manitoba Metis Federation and the Metis National Council and a founding vice-president of the Native Council of Canada. He has received awards for his public service, including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award 1996.
R.E. (Reg) Forbes, played an instrumental role in the development of the Keystone Centre in Brandon and in the establishment of the PMU industry in Manitoba. A life-long resident of Western Manitoba he served as commissioner on the Grain Handling and Transportation Commission, is past president of numerous organizations including the Manitoba Winter Fair, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba and the Agricultural Institute of Canada. He is also a member of the Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Edwin Jebb, a champion of healthy lifestyles for Manitoba Natives. A member of the Opaskwyak Cree Nation, he was one of the first Aboriginal graduates of the University of Manitoba and continues to live and work in the North developing education programs for Native people and promoting the traditional Aboriginal way of life. A strong advocate of volunteerism he has served on many community boards and committees.
Sol Kanee, OC, has an unparalleled record of service to Winnipeg and Canada’s Jewish community. He has led cultural organizations, community service groups and been a confidante of prime ministers in both Canada and Israel. He also served on the board of the Bank of Canada for 17 years.
Mary Kelekis, businesswoman and volunteer. One of the founding members of Folklorama and a board member of the Folk Arts Council she was the first woman president of the Manitoba Restaurant Association. Active as a volunteer in her professional and community life she also served on a number of sports and athletic organizations including the National Advisory for Fitness and Sport which focused on opportunities for aged and handicapped athletes.
Susan Lambert, a dedicated volunteer, she has been involved with the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival for 30 years. Dedicated to improving the socio-economic conditions of Northern Manitoba she has served on numerous commissions, task forces and boards dedicated to this end. She is also active in assisting First Nations and non-status Aboriginal activities and events and now serves as chairman of The Pas Health Complex Foundation.
Pearl McGonigal, CM, 19th lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1981 to 1986, the first woman to hold the post in Manitoba. Her career has included banking and merchandising and she has served on the St. James-Assiniboia and Winnipeg city councils. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1994.
W. John McKeag, CM, CD, 17th lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1970 to 1976. Prior to that he was general manager and president of a family business and established his own real estate business in 1960. He was a councillor for the Town of Tuxedo and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996.
Dr. Leo Mol, OC, RCA, sculptor. He has been commissioned to sculpt monuments in the United States, Argentina and Brazil and his works can be found in galleries around the world. Over 200 of his bronze sculptures are on display at Assiniboine Park. He has been active in artistic organizations and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1989.
Alfred Monnin, OC, QC, former chief justice of Manitoba. He retired in 1990 after serving 33 years on the bench. His public service since that time has included chairing the Francophone Governance Implementation Support Team and acting as a "screener" for trade complaints related to the Agreement on Internal Trade.
William Norrie, CM, QC, former mayor of Winnipeg. Serving 27 years in public office, including 14 as mayor of Winnipeg, he was instrumental in the creation of the Core Area Initiative, the North Portage and Forks Redevelopment corporations. In 1993 he was admitted into the Order of Canada. With a long history of community involvement and dedication he is currently chairman of the St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation and Honorary Consul General of Japan in Winnipeg.
David Northcott, co-founder and first executive co-ordinator of Winnipeg Harvest. A past chair and founder of The Canadian Association of Food Banks, he has served on the boards of the National Anti-Poverty Organization, the West Broadway Community Ministry and The Prairie Theatre Exchange. He is also currently serving as a member of the national Council on Welfare.
Howard R. Pawley, PC, QC, premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988. He practised law in Selkirk until he was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1969. More recently, he as been an associate professor in the political science department and the Law School of the University of Windsor.
Pamela Blanche Rebello, cross cultural educator and consultant. Educated in India, the United States and Canada, she has dedicated the last 32 years to improving inter-ethnic relations and leadership in the performing arts. Instrumental in the establishment of the India School of Dance, Music & Theatre, she has served as chair of the Manitoba Intercultural Council, the Multicultural Education Resource Centre and numerous boards and committees all dedicated bringing new ideas to education and a new dynamism to Manitoba’s Cultural scene.
Strini Reddy, educator. With a career spanning more than four decades and five countries, he has received honours and awards for his leadership and achievements in education, social justice, peace and anti-racism. Since retiring in 1998 he continues to be involved in activities dedicated to the well-being of children and young people in Canada.
Mary Richard, president of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg. Actively involved in numerous organizations, she has received many honours for her community work. She is currently serving as a board member of The Forks North Portage Partnership, as co-chair of the North Main Task Force, as a member of the Heritage Council of Manitoba and as a member of the Manitoba Round Table on Sustainable Development.
George Taylor Richardson, former chairman of James Richardson & Sons Limited, his business dealings covered grain, oil and gas, real estate, securities, pipeline construction, freight hauling and the airline industries. He also served on the boards of many national companies and was the first Canadian born governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. His community affiliations include the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, St. John’s Ravenscourt School, the North American Wildlife Federation and the Western Canada Aviation Museum.
Duff Roblin, PC, CC, premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. He was a businessman before and after his service in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War and was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1949. He served as a senator from Manitoba from 1978 to 1992.
Edward R. Schreyer, PC, CC, CMM, CD, governor general of Canada from 1979 to 1984 and Canadian High Commissioner to Australia after that. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1958 and to the House of Commons in 1965. He served as premier of Manitoba from 1969 to 1977.
Roger Marshall Smith (Pinawa), nuclear scientist and volunteer. Instrumental in the development of the Whiteshell Laboratories and the Town of Pinawa, he continues to be involved in many seniors’ activities and organizations. He also helped set up the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency and has served as a member of the Canadian Executive Services Organization working on projects to assist First Nations Bands in Manitoba.
Dr. Arnold J. Spohr, former artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for 30 years. During that period the company developed an international reputation for excellence, and produced and showcased a number of world-renowned dancers and choreographers. His awards and honours include the Order of Canada.
Dr. Baldur R. Stefansson, an oilseed breeder who conducted ground-breaking research that helped transform rapeseed into canola. He taught at the University of Manitoba until his retirement in 1986. He is a provost in the Order of the Buffalo Hunt.
Bramwell Bernard Tovey, now in his 11th season, the longest serving artistic director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra-conductor partnership has been one of the most creative in North America. Tovey has appeared with virtually all major orchestras in Canada and Great Britain. In addition, he has also appeared with orchestras in Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia and the United States. In September, he will become the music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Among his numerous awards is an honorary associateship from the Royal Academy of Music.
2001The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, P.C., Ph.D.
Elected in 1973 as a Liberal Member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, he was re-elected in 1977. In 1979, he was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament representing the riding of Winnipeg – Fort Garry, later Winnipeg South and was re-elected every term since that time until his retirement from federal politics in 2000.
During his tenure in Ottawa he served as Minister of Employment and Immigration, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Minister of Transport, Chairman of the Western Affairs Committee of Cabinet, and following a period as Official Opposition Critic in various capacities, he was appointed Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. Since 1996, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
While travelling the world as Foreign Minister, he also searched for ways to promote Manitoba. He marketed the Port of Churchill, championed the Mid-Continent Trade Corridor, engaged the International Joint Commission to work with Manitoba and neighbouring states to reduce the kind of flooding experienced in Manitoba in 1997. He secured federal resources and support to host events like the Pan Am Games and the United Nations Conference on War Affected Children.
From his advocacy for his home province came the Core Area Initiative, the Winnipeg Development Agreement, the Forks-North Portage Partnership and the Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Program.
Dr. Clarence Lyle Barber, O.C.
Acknowledged as one of Canada’s most thoughtful and respected economists, his contributions track the historical circumstances and political context in which economic policy was formed. Clarence Barber is Professor Emeritus of the University of Manitoba, and a former University Distinguished Professor of the University of Manitoba. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, this country’s highest recognition of scholarly excellence. In 1988 he received an honorary degree from the University of Guelph and a month later the Order of Canada.
Dr. Barber implemented Canada's Royal Commission on Farm Machinery in the late sixties; he served as Commissioner on Welfare Review for the Province of Manitoba in 1972, and he was a member of the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Union and Development Prospects. Professor Barber has had a remarkably successful academic career, publishing some seminal pieces and is the only member of the Economics Department at the University of Manitoba to have ever served as President of the Canadian Economics Association.
Dr. Barber was Economic Advisor and Director of Research for the Manitoba Royal Commission Flood Cost-Benefit from 1957 – 1959. Without his careful study, and persuasive evidence, the floodway might not have become the protector of the City of Winnipeg against the flood waters.
Heather Bishop has championed many causes in her lifetime. She has fought for rights for women since the late 1960’s and was instrumental in closing the gender pay scale gap. In the early 70’s she appeared on radio and TV and at educational institutions to speak out against homophobia. Throughout her life she has been a part of the ongoing struggle against racism. Heather is a carpenter, plumber, electrician and auto mechanic. She helped initiate and taught the first Pre-Trades Training for Women courses in Canada at Red River Community College. She was a founding member of the Women in Trades organization, which has grown to become a national organization of stature.
Heather Bishop is best known for her work as a musician. She performs to both children and adults and has received many awards including Juno nominations for most promising female vocalist and best children’s recording. She is the recipient of two U.S. Parent’s Choice Gold Awards and a NAPPA Gold Award for her children’s releases. Heather has toured the world and performed with almost every major symphony orchestra in Canada and some in the U.S.A.
Heather received the YM-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 1997, was the first recipient of the Spirit of Smith Street Award for outstanding community service to the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered Communities in 2000, and the Manitoba Awards for the Gay Community in 1992. She was a founding member and is the president of the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry and sits on the board of Manitoba Film and Sound. She has given her time to Habitat for Humanity and voluntarily teaches math to deaf adults.
Mr. Colomb lives in Pukatwagan, and at over 80 years of age, still traps his own fur. He continues to work tirelessly with the youth of his community to interest them in trapping and the land-based lifestyle.
A former Chief of the community, he has served as a band councillor, ambulance driver, and fire chief for the community. He has undertaken such projects as a wild rice operation at the community, along with many other endeavours.
Hyacinth was Manitoba’s first trapline officer, a community representative for the Natural Resources Department. As a result of his success, that program was expanded to other communities and remains a very important aspect of Department of Conservation programs in the North to this day. His whole life has been one of service to others and he has been an outstanding role model for his community.
A registered Engineer by profession, Mr. Filmon served as a member of the Winnipeg City Council prior to his first being elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1979. He served as leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party from 1983 until his retirement from politics in 2000.
Mr. Filmon served as Premier of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999. During this time, he led the province through difficult constitutional discussions and directly contributed to the economic and social progress of our province.
Among his community activities, he has served as President of the University of Manitoba Alumni Association, President of the Association of Canadian Career Colleges, Member of the Senate of the University of Manitoba, Director of the Administrative Management Society and Director of the Red River Exhibition Board.
Richard Martin was a long time resident of Manitoba and worked hard to improve the quality of life for working people and all Manitobans by seeking to advance social and economic justice and rights.
His work as a trade union activist began while he was employed as an electrician by INCO in Thompson in 1968. He rose through various union positions and in 1978 was elected President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour. One of Mr. Martin’s projects, the Manitoba Federation of Labour Occupational Health Clinic, became the first of its kind in Canada.
He served on the University of Manitoba Board of Governors from 1983 – 1984 and helped establish the Manitoba Labour Education Centre to assist people to advance their understanding of labour relations and the multitude of issues they cover.
In 1984, Mr. Martin was elected Executive Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress. In 1997, he was elected President of the 43 million member Inter-American Regional Labour Organization, headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. By the time of his retirement in 1999, Mr. Martin was widely recognized for his efforts to improve human rights, not only in Canada, but also throughout Central America and South America.
Carol Shields has received wide acclaim for her novels, poetry, short stories and plays. Her ability to portray the complex lives of ordinary people has made her one of the most celebrated English-language writers in the world. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Governor General’s Award.
Dr. Shields is Professor Emerita at the University of Manitoba. In 1996, Dr. Shields became the fifth Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg and is now the Chancellor Emerita. She has received honorary doctorates from several Canadian universities, including the University of Winnipeg, was inducted as a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and has received both a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Order of Canada.
Winnipeg is the setting of many of Carol Shields’ works. She sees the city as a place where people’s lives are intricately interlinked and where it is easy to feel connected to the community. Novels such as The Republic of Love, The Stone Diaries, and Larry’s Party have portrayed the city in its best light.
Gwen Wishart of Gladstone began her nursing career at the local hospital in Gladstone in 1955 and advanced to the position of Matron in 1967 and was later the Director of Acute Care until her retirement in 1989.
After her retirement, she continued to work for seven years as a nurse in a community nursing home. During her career there were countless times when she volunteered her time and energy to maintain the quality of medical care on which her community depended, including sandbagging during floods to protect the facility. She also found herself on various advisory boards and committees, overseeing and offering her expertise to health care affiliated organizations.
Mrs. Wishart is a founding member of the local volunteer ambulance service and a recipient of the Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal. She was instrumental in forming and maintaining the Palliative Care Committee. She spends time sitting with patients who have no local family or friends. She is the committee’s treasurer, has long been a part of the health auxiliary, has served as President and Regional Representative, and has been a citizen representative on the District Advisory Committee for the Regional Health Authority – Central Manitoba District. She has been trained as an educator for the Arthritis Society.
In addition, she has been a member of the I.O.D.E., the Gladstone Area Seniors Support Program, Citizens on Patrol & Citizens Advisory Council on Crime, Meals on Wheels, and also served for two years as President of Manitoba Child and Family Services. 2002
2002Bill Brace is a retired RCMP officer who resides in Clandeboye where he had a hobby farm which included a petting zoo, a magic museum and police museum. He invited personal care homes and the general public for visits and would take his animals to personal care homes, schools and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre.
In 1982 he founded the Society of Young Magicians in Canada. He was the first director in Canada, appointed by the Society of American Magicians, and held the position for 15 years. At one time, there were more registered members and chapters of the Society of Young Magicians in Manitoba than any other place in the world. Bill has gone on to create the Interlake Magic Club for people who no longer qualify for the Society of Young Magicians. He created the Philip Hornan scholarship in memory of a young promising magician who passed away at an early age. The scholarship is fully funded by Mr. Brace without any fund-raising. He has been called Canada's greatest magician by friends in the magic circle, not for his performances, but for his countless hours of volunteering to help others.
The Honourable Saul M. Cherniack, PC, CM
Saul Cherniack served as a captain in the Intelligence Corps of the Canadian Army in the Second World War.
A lawyer by profession, Mr. Cherniack has a history of public service dating back to 1950 when he was elected to the Winnipeg School Board. He served four years as a school trustee, followed by service as a Winnipeg Beach councillor (1958-59), City of Winnipeg alderman (1959-60) and councillor for the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (1960-62).
Mr. Cherniack was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1962, was finance minister from 1969 - 1972, and again from 1973 - 1975, when he relinquished the portfolio. As minister for urban affairs he was one of the main architects of the creation of a single city embracing the metropolitan area of Greater Winnipeg. He retired from politics in 1981 when he was appointed Chairman of Manitoba Hydro.
In 1984 he was appointed to the Privy Council of Canada and from 1984-92 served on the Security Intelligence Review Committee.
Active in the Jewish community, he is a past president of the Winnipeg Jewish Welfare Fund and a past national vice-president of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
Father Darveau served as a priest in Northern Manitoba for more than 50 years. He served the First Nations communities of Brochet, Lac Brochet and Pukatawagan and was instrumental in the development of Lac Brochet.
He built four churches in these communities and built and operated a community television station with religious and social aim. As a resident of these communities he also served as a counsellor, dental assistant (before the establishment of the medical outpost) and was a source of strength for the weak, sick and needy. There is an airstrip in Brochet due to his leadership.
On more than one occasion he risked his life to rescue people who were snow bound with the temperature exceeding 40 below Celsius. This gentle priest, retired, has left a legacy of love and kindness in Northern Manitoba. His life was a model to the thousands who knew him.
Mrs. Deol, who immigrated to Canada in 1967, is credited with developing the Caroline McMorland School for the Mentally Handicapped in Marathon, Ont., from a church basement operation. This program is now integrated into the local high school system.
In 1975 she and her family moved to Beausejour where they operated a farm and became active in the community. She continued as a resource teacher in Beausejour and then at Maples Collegiate until 1991. Mrs. Deol has been involved in a long list of community organizations.
Some honors and awards given to Mrs. Deol include Outstanding Community Service Award, Recognition of Service Award and Award Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Sikhs in Canada.
Professor Dhalla established the world-renowned Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, located at the St. Boniface General Hospital Research Centre. He has published 550 research papers and trained 120 scientists and leaders.
Dr. Dhalla has served as editor of a major medical journal, edited 34 cardiovascular books and organized several international conferences. He developed two international organizations to promote cardiovascular education and research throughout the world. He has also founded a publicly traded company for cardiovascular drug development.
Dr. Dhalla has received 76 honours from countries around the world, including the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, as well as being honoured by several universities.
2003Monty Hall was born and educated in Winnipeg and went on to a career in broadcasting, rising to world fame as host of one of the longest-running game shows on television, 'Let's Make a Deal'.
As the International Ambassador for Variety Clubs International, and as a founding member of the Variety Club of Manitoba, Monty Hall has dedicated himself and worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for disabled and disadvantaged children in our province and around the world.
The Variety Club of Manitoba contributed funds to build the CNIB's Children's Room in Winnipeg (for Occupational Therapy services). This donation was made in honour of Monty Hall and his brother Robert Hall, and dedicated to the memory of their parents Rose and Maurice Halparin. Subsequent donations (at Monty Hall's urging) were made to provide new equipment and toys for visually-impaired children using this facility. He maintains a close relationship with his home province and is truly an outstanding ambassador for Manitoba.
Tina Keeper is best known by all Canadians for her lead role in the hit CBC series "North of 60", but her roots in the Aboriginal arts community span the last 20 years. She has been involved in countless grassroots theatre and artistic projects. She is a Gemini Award winning actress who has recently expanded her efforts from acting to producing and directing. She has written, directed and produced 13 segments for A-Channel's "The Sharing Circle".
A description of Tina Keeper's accomplishments would be incomplete without considering the impact her efforts have had on the Aboriginal community over the years. Among her most recent works is the production and direction of a theatre program for youth on the issue of suicide intervention awareness, which toured Manitoba First Nations communities. She is a notable community leader who has championed the health and well-being of her people. She willingly gives her time to speak with youth in Aboriginal communities about healthy lifestyles.
The Honourable Sterling R. W. Lyon, PC
Raised in Portage la Prairie, Mr. Lyon served a total of 21 years in the legislative assembly of Manitoba and 15 years on the Court of Appeal.
First elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1958 he was sworn in as Attorney General at age 31 and became the youngest cabinet minister in the Roblin government. He was re-elected in 1959, 1962 and 1966 - holding the additional portfolios of Public Utilities, Municipal Affairs, Mines and Natural Resources and Tourism and Recreation.
In 1975 he became leader of the Progressive Conservative party and from 1977-81 was Premier of Manitoba. It was during Mr. Lyon's term as Premier, and most notably when he was national chair of the Canadian Premiers Conference from 1980-81, that he played a central role in the patriation of the Canadian Constitution.
Other accomplishments during his term as Premier included the expansion of community based health services, increasing the availability of social services to those in need and reducing most levels of taxation. His government is also credited with modernizing the financial accountability procedures of government.
In 1982 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Mr. Lyon to the Privy Council of Canada. Mr. Lyon was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1986 and retired from this position earlier this year.
He is an active life-long supporter of many wildlife organizations most notably Ducks Unlimited and the Delta Waterfowl Foundation.
Mr. McGuinness has been a publisher and vice-president of Southam Press and vice-president and editor of the Brandon Sun. He has been a freelance writer for Reader's Digest and CBC, and a weekly columnist for community newspapers. He served for 17 years as commentator on rural life for Peter Gzowski's CBC radio show "Morningside". After 15 years as writer-commentator for the weekly CBC radio show, "Neighbourly News from the Prairies," he was invited to write a print version. It continues now, in its 21st year. It appears in 65 community newspapers. He has authored several books on social history.
He received the Order of the Buffalo Hunt for being an "interpreter of the rural scene" and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Brandon University for his work as a rural activist. He also received the McWilliams Gold Medal for best Manitoba history book of 1985. He is a director of the International Peace Gardens, Chair of the Building Committee of Keystone Centre, Chair of the Employment Preparation Project, a training centre for Aboriginal single mothers, and a director of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba among others.
Leonore M. Saunders has done a great deal of work to better her community and to enhance the status of women. In 1974, Leonore, then President of the Winnipeg Council of Women, publicly advocated for the formation of the Manitoba Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
Leonore has made outstanding contributions to women's equality through her dedication to the councils of women of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada. She has been involved in all three levels of the Council preparing resolutions, presentations and briefs to governments on such issues as immigration, prostitution, pensions, pornography and child care. She has also worked on committees dealing with the environment, home care, medicare, and urban/rural development. Always willing to challenge the status quo, Leonore is an excellent role model for women.
Murray Smith has contributed to excellence in teaching. He has been a leader in the teaching of mathematics. He has been an advocate for teachers and for the rights and well-being of teachers, both active and retired. He has supported women's issues in the teaching profession, advocating for equality in the teaching profession and for women in general. He has advocated for teacher pension issues. He has volunteered many hours of his time working for the Manitoba Society of Seniors, not only in executive positions but also in working with individual seniors assisting them with their income tax returns.
Murray Smith has been the President of the Manitoba Teachers' Society and has been on the board of Creative Retirement, an organization involved with learning for and by seniors. Presently he co-chairs the Manitoba Council on Aging. He has worked for teachers and children throughout this province for decades and continues to do so.
Dr. Ursel completed her doctoral work and then published a book on the results, entitled Private Lives, Public Policy: 100 Years of State Intervention in the Family. She has spent most of her life's work at the University of Manitoba and also five years with the provincial government addressing the issue of violence and abuse in our society.
In 1990 she was a founder and co-director of a research centre called Family Violence and Violence Against Women (1992 - 1997). She expanded the research centre to become RESOLVE (Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse). She is Director of RESOLVE Manitoba. She has served on the board of Osborne House and Child and Family Services. Dr. Ursel chaired the Lavoie Implementation Committee and all 91 recommendations of that committee have been acted upon. She also served on the City of Winnipeg domestic violence working group that concluded its report in 2000.
She has been invited to speak throughout Canada, Australia and China on family violence and she is also a participant on many national research projects.
Elaine Ali has over 25 years of experience in the broadcast industry and is currently the senior vice-president, CTV Stations Group with overall responsibility for all of CTV's 27 owned-and-operated local stations. Until recently, she was both president of WTN, as well as vice-president and general manager of CKY-TV, the CTV affiliate in Winnipeg. Her passion for the Canadian broadcast industry and more specifically, for the development of women in that industry has made her one of Canada's true pioneers.
She has been a member of Canadian Women in Communications since its inception and was the first woman nominated to the board of the Broadcasters Association of Manitoba in 1988.
She is dedicated to community work and sits on the board of the United Way of Winnipeg, where she is also vice-chair of the Marketing Committee. She is chair of the Lieutenant-Governor's Youth Experience Program and served on the St. Boniface General Hospital Board from 1997 until 2002.
Leonard Bateman served all his professional life in the energy industry. He was senior engineer for most of the years involving the Nelson River planning studies and implementation. He became CEO of Manitoba Hydro in the 1970's and oversaw the development of the infrastructure upon which the entire present Nelson River electrical output is based and from which it derives its present reliability and profitability.
Mr. Bateman provided the engineering leadership to avert the pressures to install coal burning generating plants rather than hydro capacity on the grounds that the coal alternative was less risky and would provide less expensive energy. Twenty-five years (and approx. 450 million tonnes in avoided carbon dioxide emissions) later we can take note of the foregoing with a great sigh of relief. He took the initiative in getting National Energy Board approval for the construction of the major electrical transmission connection with the U.S. This line still provides all of the present capacity to export renewable energy, enabling annual sales of $400 - $500 million per annum.
He has been an active member of "Creative Retirement" in recent years.
Art Coulter has worked to promote the City of Winnipeg and its citizens. His contributions have been in the areas of labour relations and social services. He continues to work on behalf of seniors in the community in the areas of housing and safety and remains an advocate for social justice. After serving in the Second World War, Mr. Coulter worked for Canada Malting, the Winnipeg Labour Council and then the Manitoba Federation of Labour.
Art Coulter was involved in the politics of the municipal, provincial and national levels. He was elected to Winnipeg City Council in 1958 and then to the Metro Council of Greater Winnipeg. A founding member of the New Democratic Party of Canada, for many years he was official agent for the Honourable Stanley Knowles.
A founding member of the United Way of Winnipeg (Chair, 1971), Meals on Wheels, Manitoba Blue Cross (Chair, 1973), Manitoba Medical Services Foundation, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (Chair), he has also served on the Board of Directors of St. Boniface General Hospital, Workers Compensation Board (Chair) and the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club.
A Chartered Accountant, Charlie Curtis joined the Finance Department of the Manitoba Government in 1967. He became deputy minister in 1976, a position he held for 20 years, until his retirement in 1996.
In April, 1997, Mr. Curtis was appointed as executive-in-residence for the Faculty of Management at the University of Manitoba. He also serves as a member of the boards of Manitoba Hydro Electric, Centra Gas, Crocus Investment Fund, Mizuho Corporate Bank (Canada), Legal Data Resources Corp. and the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange. He is also a member of the Investment Committees of the Civil Service Superannuation Board, Winnipeg Foundation, Museum of Man and Nature, and the Law Society of Manitoba. He has acted as Chairman of Manitoba Hydro, Chief Executive Officer of the Manitoba Energy Authority and Acting Chief Executive Officer of MTX, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manitoba Telephone System.
He is a long time member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg and since 1974 has been the Club's honorary treasurer.
Dr. Du was born in Vietnam and came to Canada in 1962. A very successful pediatrician in Winnipeg, for more than 30 years, he also made regular trips to the North to serve the people of Cross Lake and Norway House.
Dr. Du is the President of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre. He chaired the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusive Act which was repealed in 1947. He was instrumental in having a sculpture commissioned to commemorate the Chinese railway workers. The sculpture was unveiled in June 1998 and is situated in the Leo Mol Garden in Assiniboine Park. Dr. Du initiated, and was successful, in the donation of Pandas for a six month exhibition in Winnipeg in 1989. He has given his time to serve on the boards of a multitude of community organizations.
Dr. Du received the Order of Canada in 1985, and has been recognized numerous times with other awards.
Phil Fontaine has been an articulate and effective spokesperson for aboriginal peoples in Canada for more than 30 years and has been a unique bridge between aboriginal and non-aboriginal citizens.
As Chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation, he revolutionized the educational system on the reserve which later became a model for other reserve communities.
He served as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, from 1990 - 1997. During his term, he negotiated the historic Framework Agreement Initiative which put in place the terms for the ultimate accession to full self-government of the First Nations of Manitoba.
In 1997 he was elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations - a position he occupied for three years. During this term he negotiated the founding and funding of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
Phil Fontaine has worked tirelessly on behalf of the First Nations peoples of Canada to improve their housing, education, medical care and self respect. He contributes personally, professionally and materially to every good cause. He personally has financed the Southeast Blades of the MJHL and is currently Chief Commissioner of the Specific Claims Commission.
Waldron N. Fox-Decent, C.M., C.M.M.
Wally Fox-Decent was professor of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba from 1962 - 1995.
He has provided exemplary service in management relations as a special mediator and arbitrator in critical labour issues and as chairperson of the province's main advisory committees on labour relations. He chaired the Review Committee on Improving Workplace Safety & Health, the first comprehensive assessment of the act in 25 years, with extensive public hearings and community input. He has mediated a number of difficult management disputes and has led a number of provincial task forces on constitutional reform, national unity and aboriginal child welfare.
He has a distinguished military service record. A former Chief of all reserves and cadets for Canadian Forces, he holds the rank of Rear Admiral, Reserve.
In 2000, he was General Campaign Chair for the United Way of Manitoba. From 1992 to the present, he has been Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Workers Compensation Board.
Dr. Lorimer is a tireless advocate for improvement in education. He established the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents in 1956 and served as its first president. He was appointed deputy minister of Education in 1967 and served until 1978.
He was Superintendent of Schools, Winnipeg School Division No. 1 from 1953-66. He provided leadership to Winnipeg's largest public school system when increased urbanization; industralization and advances in technology challenged its competency to provide students with an appropriate instructional program. Dr. Lorimer provided the leadership needed for the creation of special programs for the gifted, the mentally handicapped, the hard of hearing, the slow learning, the hospitalized, the home-bound and the emotionally disturbed. Under his leadership the first nursery classrooms in Manitoba were established in 1965. He played a key role in establishing a program of adult education in 1966 at Argyle School, and provided leadership to expand the services of the Child Guidance Clinic to include children in other school divisions/districts.
A past president of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, he also served as chairperson of the Advisory Board in Manitoba's Department of Education. In 1965, he was elected President of the Canadian Education Association.
Loreena McKennitt is self-managed, self-produced and the head of her own internationally-successful record label Quinlan Road. She has won critical acclaim and multiple sales awards of nearly 13 million albums sold worldwide. She has composed and contributed music for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the National Film Board of Canada documentary series Women and Spirituality. Her film soundtrack contributions include Highlander III, The Santa Clause and Jean-Claude Lauzon's feature film Leolo. Television soundtrack use includes TNT's epic miniseries The Mists of Avalon, Due South and Northern Exposure.
She is an active member of her community in Stratford, Ontario and oversees several charitable undertakings in the fields of water safety and family, childhood support services.
She has supported the Morden United Church Building Fund by hosting a concert and appeared at the opening of the 1996 Manitoba Summer Games held in Morden. Ms. McKennitt was the headline performer for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the Manitoba Legislative Buildings on October 8, 2002.
Dr. Arnold Naimark is an outstanding educator, administrator, scientist, community leader and the first Chairman of North Portage Development Corporation, Forks Renewal Corporation. Highly regarded nationally, he served as President of the University of Manitoba and is currently Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of Manitoba and Director of its Centre for the Advancement of Medicine.
Dr. Naimark is the Founding Chairman of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and of the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee. He serves on the Council of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, as a director of the Robarts Research Institute and Genome Prairie and on the national Statistics Council. He is director of several voluntary, public and private sector organizations. Dr. Naimark's current activities are focused on the advancement of scientific research and development, health innovation, institutions and government agencies.
He was invested into the Order of Canada in 1991, and has received several honorary degrees and numerous awards.
Neila Premachuk is a true northern pioneer. She came to The Pas from Ukraine in the 1920's. She was a woman entrepreneur before the term was coined. After her husband's death, she ran the local store in The Pas from the early 1920's to 1960 and in Lynn Lake from 1960-75, returning to The Pas in 1980. She also ran a fly-in fishing and hunting lodge, catering to U.S. fisherman in the 1960's and 1970's providing employment to many local hunting and fishing guides. One of the visitors to her fly-in lodge worked for Walt Disney resulting in her being requested by the company to find animals to appear in Disney movies in the 1960's.
In the summer of 2000, she was invited to tea at Buckingham Palace to honour her work to develop the north and its residents. She was also honoured by the local RCMP detachment in 1998 for more than 50 years of community service to The Pas.
After losing his right arm in an accident at work, Clarence Tillenius taught himself to paint with his left hand. The work that has resulted is now recognized throughout the world.
In 1954, he began a series of large paintings of Canada's wildlife and wilderness landscapes. Hundreds of thousands of reproductions of these paintings and their accompanying texts have been distributed across Canada and around the world.
Clarence Tillenius is one of Canada's foremost wildlife artists. He has done beautiful dioramas for the Manitoba Museum and for other museums in Canada and the U.S.A. He has also written several books on wildlife. The Conservatory at Assiniboine Park houses a large collection of his paintings - many of them personally donated by Mr. Tillenius.
Mr. Tillenius will be 90 years of age in August, 2003 and still continues to paint.
2004Len Cariou has demonstrated excellence and achievement in the visual and performing arts field. His first professional appearance as an actor was at Winnipeg's Rainbow Stage in the 1960 production of "Damn Yankees". He went on to perform for several years at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and from there launched a very extensive acting career at Ontario's Stratford Theatre, the Guthrie in Minneapolis and on Broadway where he stared in two award winning musicals and earned best actor nominations. He returned to Winnipeg and became artistic director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre for the 1975/76 season.
Over the years, he has performed in many parts of the world and in many different theatres, movies and television. He has won many awards for his work. He is credited as being one of North America's finest classical actors.
He has benefited Manitoba through his outstanding talent and his ongoing commitment to Manitoba and to the arts community in particular.
He is honorary chair of the MTC Endowment Fund
He played a victim of Alzheimer's and donated his services, raising millions for Alzheimer research. The Winnipeg Chapter of the Alzheimer foundation benefited from a special gala screening of the film.
At age 20, Thérèsa Champagne entered the Congregation of the Missionary Oblate Sisters whose mandate it is to tend to the needs of the poor and make bilingual and religious education a priority. Sister Champagne taught for more than 34 years in public, private and residential schools through the Prairie Provinces.
Northern Manitoba needed someone to serve as a pastoral minister to the Cree, Métis and white population living in outlying communities of the Keewatin-LePas Archdiocese. She travels between the communities of Thompson, Thicket Portage and Wabowden ministering to the needs of the community.
Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov has devoted the past decade to palliative care research. His program of research has explored various psychosocial issues in the end of life care. Because of his work, more is known about the prevalence of depression in patients nearing death, and health care providers are better able to detect and treat clinical depression in the terminally ill. His studies on "Desire for Death" (published in the American Journal of Psychiatry) and "Will to Live" (published in The Lancet). The work on depression and suicidal thinking in patients receiving palliative care is bed rock in any consideration of legalizing assisted suicide. This work persuaded the Special Senate Committee, to support improved end-of-life care for all Canadians. His work on dignity is ground breaking. Chochinov and colleagues have brought light, clarity and relevance to this important concept.
Dr. Chochinov's work has been widely recognized and he has been the recipient of several awards and honors. He has been a lecturer and invited scholar to most academic institutions across North America and abroad. He has been a Medical Research Council of Canada Scientist, and a Canadian Institute of Health Research Investigator. He is the recipient of this country's only Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care, and with recent funding has established one of Canada's only palliative care research units designated to study psychosocial issues as they pertain to end of life care. He has spearheaded the development and launch of the Canadian Virtual Hospice, an interactive network for patients, families and health care providers, dealing with life-threatening illness and loss.
Dr. Henry G. Friesen, C.C., F.R.S.C.
Dr. Friesen is a highly qualified doctor who received his MD degree in 1958 from the University of Manitoba and was trained as an endocrinologist at the New England Medical Center in Boston. His research work on growth hormones at McGill University resulted in the therapy of growth hormone in dwarf children, which treatment is now being used all over the world.
Among in his peers, he is considered a “living legend" in the field of endocrinology due to his research into the isolation and purification of human prolactin, which stimulated numerous investigators to study the characteristics and mechanisms of action of this hormone. His research showed that an excessive amount of circulating prolactin was responsible for infertility in women. This laid the foundation for the development of a highly effective drug "Bromocriptine" for the treatment of infertility. He is the author of more than 460 publications in the field of endocrinology.
He serves as President of the Medical Research Council and was a prime moving force for starting the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is the Founding Chair of Genome Canada and has served as President of several other national organizations.
Virginia Guiang immigrated to Winnipeg in 1969 from the Philippines. A teacher by profession she has volunteered and contributed to her community in the following ways:
A founding member of the Cosmopolitan Group of Winnipeg, she served as president of the Philippine Association of Winnipeg (1988-91) and, cultural director of the Philippine Folk Dance Ensemble (1970-78). She is a founder and adviser of the Filipino Domestic Workers Assoc. of Manitoba and a founding member of the Coalition of Filipino-Canadians on Violence Prevention, 1995. Serving as a member of the Mayor’s Race Relations Committee (1986-1990), she is also a tireless supporter of the Manitoba Women’s Advisory Council, Multicultural Grants Advisory Council and the Board of Directors of St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation.
She initiated and played a role in the acquisition of the new Philippine Cultural Centre, where she introduced and teaches citizenship classes, English as a Second Language, organized an annual event for Filipino Seniors, and teaches the Pilipino language at the Centre.
She has successfully organized and run a campaign for clemency on behalf of a Filipino domestic worker sentenced to die in the United Arab Emirates as well as prayer vigil's for others in need.
The Honourable
John Harvard, P.C., O.M., LLD (Hon.)
Born in Glenboro, Manitoba, 1938, John Harvard's career has spanned broadcasting, politics and a five-year term as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. His volunteer service has benefitted many public agencies.
As Manitoba's Lieutenant Governor, June 30, 2004 to August 4, 2009, he celebrated outstanding citizenship and service to the Province of Manitoba, honouring individuals in every part of the province.
Elected a Member of Parliament for sixteen years (1988-2004), Mr. Harvard chaired several House of Commons standing, all-party committees: Government Operations; Heritage; and Agriculture. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers of Public Works, Agriculture and International Trade. In 2001-02, Mr. Harvard chaired the Prime Minister's Task Force on the Four Western Provinces. From 1996 to 2000 he was Chairman of the Canada-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Association and from 2001-2004 he was Chairman of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association. Through 2002 and 2003, he was a Member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and was deeply involved in the Committee's study of Canada's global relations with Islamic countries.
Mr. Harvard is currently a Board Member of a number of organizations, including: the Icelandic Foundation, Canada; the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg; Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank's Poverty and Hunger Committee; the Patron's Circle of the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute; and the Duke of Edinburg Awards. Mr. Harvard also served as Vice-Prior of the Society of St. John. He is a member of the Canadian Club and of Professional and Business Association (PROBIS).
His volunteerism with the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute has involved developing courses, workshops and round-tables since the organization's inception and he has spoken frequently at events for young immigrant students. He has also lectured in the University of Winnipeg's Political Science Department.
A member of the Privy Council of Canada, Mr. Harvard was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2004, and while Lieutenant Governor served as the Order's Chancellor. He received the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon in 2000; an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Manitoba in 2005, and, in 2009, he was inducted as a Knight of the Society of St. John.
The Honourable Benjamin Hewak is a former Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba, having served in that capacity for 17 years. Prior to that, he served as a Judge in both the County Court of Winnipeg and the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba. He is the first person of Ukrainian descent to have held the position of Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench in Manitoba. Under his term as Chief Justice, he brought significant changes and improvements. It has been said of that that "he has changed the face of the court system in this Province and changed and improved the system of justice in Manitoba."
He has served his community in the following ways: former Alderman of the City of West Kildonan; former President of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation; former Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors of Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble; former President and Member of Hoosli Ukrainian Male Chorus; former Chairman of the Seven Oaks Hospital Foundation; former Member of the Holy Family Nursing Home Advisory Board; former Member of St. Andrews College Advisory Board; former Member of Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Cultural Centre (Oseredok) and Member of the Canadian Judicial Counsel
He is a recipient of a Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Manitoba and was inducted into the Hall of Distinction of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival
Vern Hildahl served in the armed forces during World War II. He coached and managed many community sports teams, was a founder of the Harrow Recreation Centre, the first president of the Harrow School Parents Association, a Boy Scout Leader and active on the executive of his church.
In 1945 he joined the Canadian Forestry Service. In a career that spanned 35 years with the federal government and 10 years in a shared position with the Manitoba government and City of Winnipeg, Vern conducted research and contributed scientific papers on Forest Tent Caterpillar, Cankerous and Spruce Bud Worm infestations. It was his contribution to the understanding of Dutch elm disease that earned him international recognition.
During the 1950's, Eastern Canada and the U.S. saw its American Elms obliterated by Dutch elm disease. Vern Hildahl extensively researched the outbreak of the disease and became convinced the Native Elm Bark Beetle, an insect that had been here long before the outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease was responsible. Scientists from all over North America and Europe were coming to Winnipeg to hear Vern Hildahl lecture on the subject.
He convinced local authorities to commit funds to his program to control the disease by an aggressive sanitation program which involved pruning dead branches from trees, removing dead trees and properly disposing of elm wood. Cities like Winnipeg, Chicago, and Syracuse implemented his program, the loss of elms was around 2% per year, compared to 95% loss in other communities who did not implement his program.
June Marion James was born in Trinidad & Tobago where she completed her elementary and secondary schooling. Arriving in Manitoba in 1960, she graduated with her M.D. from the University of Manitoba in 1967.
She holds Specialist Certificates in Pediatrics and Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology for which she was named a Fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
An Assistant Professor in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. James runs a private practice at the Winnipeg Clinic.
Since her election to the Clinic’s Executive Council in 1999, she has held a series of positions there, becoming Chairman and President of the Winnipeg Clinic Medical Corporation in 2003. Dr. James was also elected as Councillor of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba in 1994, where she held a number of positions, including President of the College for the 2001/2002 term.
Apart from her professional contributions, she has made significant contributions to the community as a member of the board of a number of organizations. She was involved with the Caribbean Canadian Association in a variety of executive positions, was a charter member of the Congress of Black Women (Manitoba Chapter) and played an integral role in the development of the Harambee Housing Corporation.
Other Board memberships include -- the Winnipeg Foundation, the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation and the James Robinson Chair of Black Studies, Dalhousie University.
She has served as President of the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature and the Manitoba Museum Foundation.
She is the recipient of several prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to both her profession and community, including, The Schering Fellow Travel Award and the Cross of Lorraine, presented by the Canadian Lung Association, Asthma Program.
Born in Israel, Sam Katz moved to Winnipeg in 1951. He is president and owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club. He is credited with the construction of Winnipeg's ballpark, CanWest Global Park, home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club. Mr. Katz has made CanWest Global Park "fan friendly", encouraging family attendance. The architecture of the park has included not only a park-like setting but also a view of Winnipeg's skyline, reflecting his concern for the enhancement and beautification of the city. Sam Katz is the founder of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation which has donated over $150,000 to charities and non-profit organizations.
Other interests have included President and CEO of Showtime Productions, co-founder Walker Theatre Performing Arts Group, and CEO of Nite Out Entertainment. Other business interests include Lemax Manufacturing, Rumor's Comedy Club, Grapes Restaurant, Green Gates Restaurant and Pasta la Vista.
He is listed in "Manitoba 125 - A History, Volume 3 Decades of Diversity" as one of history's 125 most influential Manitobans.
Arthur V. Mauro, O.C., Q.C., K.S.G., LL.D.
In private enterprise and in voluntary service, Arthur Mauro has contributed to the economic, civic and cultural life of Manitoba. His contributions span the law, higher education, charities, health services, advanced research, national and provincial aspects of public policy sport, aboriginal affairs, community development, business development, the fine arts, and national unity.
As a lawyer, he is a leading expert in the field of transportation, especially as it relates to the North, and he is counsel to Manitoba's largest law firm, Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson. He was the CEO of Investors Group and a director of a number of Canada's major businesses. As an educator, he has been a lecturer and Chancellor of the University of Manitoba.
The son of Italian immigrants, he has served as Honourary Vice Consul of Italy.
His community service record includes serving as: chair of Winnipeg Community Chest, chair of St. Paul's College Board of Directors, chair Winnipeg Art Gallery Foundation Inc., chair Province of Manitoba Skills Training Advisory Committee, chair 1991 Grey Cup Festival Committee, hair of the Board of St. Boniface Hospital, chair Winnipeg Jets Steering Committee, chair of Negotiations on Internal Trade, chair The Catholic Foundation of Manitoba, deputy chair of St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation, president of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, director of North Portage Development Corporation, director Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, member - Dorais Charities Inc., member - The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, director - Business Council of Manitoba, member - The Council for Canadian Unity, member - Winnipeg Millennium Council.
Don Robertson, a Cree from Norway House became an ordained United Church Minister and dedicated his life to the welfare of his people. He has been particularly committed to education. Prior to his work in the field of post-secondary education, Dr. Robertson served in pastorates in Melita and Russell, Manitoba.
At Brandon University, he was the director of the Indian-Metis Project for Action in Careers through Teacher Education, and the Director of the Brandon University Northern Teacher Education Program, sometimes called BUNTEP. At Red River College, Dr. Robertson served as the Dean of Aboriginal Education and Institutional Diversity.
He has served as the Superintendent of the Manitoba Indian Education Association and the Director of Education for the Island Lake Tribal Council. Prior to his retirement in 2002, he served as the Executive Director of the First Nations Education Resource Centre for two years. In 1999 Dr. Robertson was named Chair of the Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE) and has served with great distinction.
Val Werier was born and raised in Winnipeg. He served as a navigator in the RCAF in Bomber Command in the Second World War, completing a tour of operations overseas with the rank of flying officer. After the war, he joined the Winnipeg Tribune as a reporter. In turn, he became city editor, news editor, associate editor and columnist. When the Tribune folded he became a columnist with the Winnipeg Free Press, a position he still holds.
He has written extensively on heritage and the natural and physical environment, long before they became popular causes. He has received many national awards.
His writings have had a profound impact on the community, resulting in social and environmental changes in Manitoba. With a deep affection for the province, he has championed the protection of Lake Winnipeg, as well as Manitoba's parks and waterways. He has written about the vulnerable in society over his 55 year career.
Born in Winnipeg, Randy Bachman has become a legendary figure in the rock-and-roll world through his talents as a guitarist, songwriter, performer and producer. He has earned over 120 gold and platinum album and singles awards. His songwriting has garnered him the coveted number one spot on radio play lists in over 20 countries and he has amassed over 40 million records sold. His songs have been recorded by numerous other artists and placed in dozens of television, movie and commercial soundtracks.
His first scored Billboard radio chart success was with The Guess Who in 1965 performing the song Shakin’ All Over. The Guess Who went on to virtually own the pop charts with an unprecedented run of five million-selling singles, all the product of the gold-plated Randy Bachman-Burton Cummings songwriting team. By 1970, The Guess Who had sold more records than the entire Canadian recording industry to that point, even outselling The Beatles that year.
Bachman left The Guess Who at the height of their success to spend more time with his family. He formed Brave Belt in 1970 and eventually Bachman-Turner Overdrive eclipsing his earlier triumphs.
Randy Bachman has played an integral role in the evolution and growth of the Canadian music industry and continues to serve as both an inspiration and impetus for others to succeed.
Gladys Evelyn Taylor-Cook has volunteered with and been a mentor to troubled Aboriginal youth and adults throughout Manitoba for nearly three decades. A recognized First Nations Dakota elder for 18 of those years, she is a role model in First Nations communities.
For the past 26 years, she has spent an average of three days a week volunteering at the Agassi Youth Centre and the Women's Correctional Institute in Portage la Prairie. Acting as both an advisor and mother figure, she forms a special bond with the inmates whom she assists on their journey to recovery. She has also participated in numerous sharing circles for sexually-abused inmates.
In addition, over the past 30 years, Taylor-Cook has been a volunteer with the St. Mary's Anglican Church in Portage la Prairie and the United Church in Beausejour. For 12 years, she has been a respected member of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP).
She has received numerous awards for her volunteerism including the Governor General’s Award, the Order of Rupertsland and the Manitoba Volunteer of the Year.
Dr. Albert D. Friesen, who holds a PhD in protein chemistry, is largely regarded as a founding father of biotechnology in Manitoba.
He was the first full-time employee and eventual president of the Rh Institute, overseeing the development and pharmaceutical approval of WinRho for the treatment of Rh disease in unborn and newborn infants. He has been instrumental in the founding and early stage development of several other health-industry companies including ABI Biotechnology, Viventia Biotech Inc., Genesys Pharma Inc., Medicure Inc., the Manitoba Science and Technology Fund, DiaMedica Inc. and Genesys Venture Inc., a life-sciences startup incubator.
The founder of the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (IBAC) and past chair of its board of directors, his other significant contributions include being:
- A former member of the Manitoba Health Research Task Group, Economic Innovation and Technology Council, National Planning Council, XVII World Congress of the International Society for Heart Research and the committee to establish the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg.
- A former member of the board, Canadian Hemophilia Society (Manitoba Chapter) and the Manitoba Health Research Council and a former chair of the Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship.
- The current director and chair of the board of Wellington Mennonite Personal Care Inc., director of the board of the Eden Foundation and chair of the Business of Science Symposium (Winnipeg). His also a current member of the American Heart Association, the Aboriginal Summit Steering Committee and the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council.
Friesen is an adjunct professor at the faculty of pharmacy and a consultant to the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Manitoba. In 2003, he received the University of Manitoba’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Irene Grant’s efforts on behalf of women span over 70 years, nearly six decades of which were as a member of the Business and Professional Women's (BPW) Club of Winnipeg. She joined the BPW in 1945 when she returned from service with the navy WRENs.
In 1945, when she resumed her teaching career, she broke the barrier that kept married women from teaching in Winnipeg. Active with the Manitoba Teachers Society since the 1950s, she served on the committee that was instrumental in changing the retirement policy forcing women to retire at age 60, five years earlier than their male counterparts. She also worked successfully towards achieving pay equity.
Grant has represented the BPW at the local, provincial and national levels, serving as president of the Winnipeg club and on the provincial executive as well as being programs and projects chair on the national board. During this time, she helped lead BPW's sponsorship of numerous workshops and seminars addressing the needs of working women.
Grant also worked with the Family Law Reform Committee to effect passage of the Family Maintenance Act and the Marital Property Act and, from 1972 to 1982, she was the citizen’s advisor to Legal Aid Manitoba. She helped found the Fort Garry Women's Resource Centre and presented at the 1978 federal Task Force on Canadian Unity.
For 12 years, she served as a member of the Land Use Committee of the Manitoba Environmental Council and chaired the environment committee for the Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba for a three-year period.
Other awards and honours include the Government of Canada Person’s Day Award, a life membership in the International Peace Gardens and a life membership in the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs.
Dr. Chander Kanta Gupta is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Manitoba and the only recognized uro-gynecologist in the province. She is active on the staff of the St. Boniface, Victoria and Seven Oaks general hospitals as well as the Health Sciences Centre.
She is highly regarded for the outstanding contributions she has made to women's health in Manitoba in her roles as clinician, teacher, role model, mentor, patient advocate and lobbyist. She was a pioneer in performing Manitoba's first tension-free vaginal-tear (TVT) procedure to correct urinary incontinence in females. This minimally-invasive procedure has improved the quality of life for countless women, allowing them to regain their self-confidence and self-respect.
Gupta has also been an active member and proponent of Manitoba's Hindu Community for more than 30 years and has served on the board of the India School of Dance, Music and Theatre.
Other awards and honours include: the 2004 Manitoba Medical Association Physician of the Year Award and the 2001 and 1994 Teacher of the Year Award given by the department of obstetrics and gynecology.
Edward Head, honorary senator of Manitoba's Métis Nation, has enriched communities across Manitoba while working tirelessly towards the betterment of his people. He has known their struggles and rose to be a leader in Manitoba, serving as president of the Manitoba Métis Federation from 1975 to 1976 and continuing to act as a mentor and leader within the organization ever since.
He played an instrumental role in the establishment of Native Communications Incorporated (NCI). He has provided strong leadership on issues of Métis hunting rights, for which he was named the lead commissioner for the Commission for the Métis Laws of the Hunt.
Today, Head provides advice and works on many of the issues faced in natural resources including co-management and Manitoba Hydro. He is also active with the Métis Survivor Family Wellness Program.
Terry Hind has served the people of Manitoba through his exemplary career and also in his service to many charitable and sporting organizations.
In 1954, he became the general manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club and developed the organization through nine years of service. He was elected a City of Winnipeg alderman from 1962 to 1965. He also served the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as assistant general manager and general manager until 1970.
He was instrumental in establishing juvenile, junior and senior baseball league teams and serving as coach and manager of many championship teams. He was a gifted pitcher in senior leagues. He was general manager of the Winnipeg Maroons hockey team which won the Allen Cup in 1964 and was responsible for taking the Maroons to Europe on two occasions to play against European teams.
He has contributed to many charitable organizations including:
- Winnipeg Harvest, member of the Sunshine Club fundraiser
- Manitoba Marathon, board chair
- Meals on Wheels, board member for three years
- Sir Hugh John McDonald Memorial Hostel for Wayward Boys, eight years
- United Way of Winnipeg, Speakers Bureau chair
- Member of the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Hockey Foundation.
Martin Johnson is a former battalion chief with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service who has made a mark on Manitoba and its people in a number of ways.
When he retired in 2003, Johnson had been a firefighter for more than 40 years, 25 of which he served as a union executive holding positions from vice-president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg to president of the Manitoba Professional Fire Fighters Association. He was an originating member of the Winnipeg Firefighter Safety Committee and is considered directly responsible for the advancement of safety for firefighters in Manitoba.
The founder of the Firefighters Burn Fund, he has also been its leader for the past 27 years. The burn fund has raised millions of dollars for burn treatment and fire and burn prevention. It has created two burn units in Winnipeg – the Manitoba Firefighters Burn unit (adults) and the Firefighters Burn Fund Children's Burn Unit – which serve the citizens of Manitoba, northwest Ontario and Nunavut. The charity has also purchased advanced burn-care equipment for Winnipeg hospitals and has funded advanced training for many of Manitoba's burn ward doctors and nurses at courses throughout North America.
Johnson was also instrumental in founding the Burn Camp, the first firefighter-sponsored camp of its kind in North America, where child burn survivors are able to enjoy a normal camp experience while learning to deal with the traumatic physical and psychological scars caused by a serious burn. Today, there are over three dozen Children's burn camps in North America and the concept has spread to Europe and Asia.
Johnson has been a cub leader (nine years), a past president of the Winnipeg Ringette League and a ringette ice convener for Transcona. As the past president of the Manitoba Professional Fire Fighters Association, he advocated and lobbied for the reinstatement of heart and lung coverage under the Workers Compensation Act.
Johnson accepted the Laureate Award of Excellence from the Health Sciences Centre Research Foundation on behalf of the Firefighters Burn Fund.
A Cree from Grand Rapids, Man., by the late 1960s, Ovide Mercredi had begun his role as a political advocate for First Nations Peoples. A graduate of the University of Manitoba faculty of law (1977), he is well-recognized on the national stage as a lawyer, a negotiator and an activist who believes in Mahatma Gandhi's approach to political activism.
He served two terms (1991-1997) as the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), becoming the longest-serving national chief. Actively involved with the constitutional law and Aboriginal constitutional reform issues, in 1992 he led the First Nations delegation during the constitutional discussions that resulted in the Charlottetown Accord which recognized a legal duty to honour treaties and Aboriginal self-government as a distinct third order of government.
Prior to his election as national chief, Mercredi served as AFN vice-chief for the Manitoba region and was an active member of the AFN national executive committee. In 1989, he represented the AFN in Geneva, seeking improvements to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. He also acted as AFN spokesperson and representative at the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Working Group.
He has served as commissioner of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. He was also a member of the Alcoholism Foundation of Manitoba and the Senate ad hoc Committee on Native Studies. He has spoken in India, Australia, Great Britain, Scotland and Germany, and has lectured at various American universities. He published a collection of his speeches in his book In the Rapids – Navigating the Future of First Nations. Mercredi is currently a professor of native studies at the University of Sudbury.
Other awards and honours include an honourary doctorate in civil law from Bishop’s University in Quebec (1994); the Thakore Foundation Award in recognition of his work toward the accomplishment of justice and self-government for First Nations Peoples in Canada (1993); an honourary doctorate in civil law from St. Mary's University in Halifax (1992) and a nomination by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace for the Gandhi Prize.
Kathleen Richardson is a Manitoban who is recognized across Canada for her philanthropy and volunteerism. For her dedicated community service, in 1994 Richardson became a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest honour.
She is a past member of the Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Pan-Am Games Society. She is currently the honourary chair of the Winnipeg Humane Society's capital campaign, Unleash The Potential, working to raise $9.5 million for a new animal shelter.
Richardson has also served on a number of corporate boards including Gulf Canada, Barclays Bank of Canada, Sun-Life Assurance Co. and James Richardson & Sons, Ltd. She has won the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Manitoba and the Edmund C. Bovey Award from the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada.
As president of the Kathleen M. Richardson Foundation, she has supported such arts organizations as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Contemporary Dancers Canada, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Prairie Theatre Centre. Her foundation also provides grants to such community groups as the Compassionate Friends of Winnipeg and CancerCare Manitoba.
She is perhaps best known for her long association with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, chairing their campaign for a permanent home which officially opened in January 1988. This year marks Richardson's 50th year of support, commitment and leadership to the RWB, a relationship she continues to nurture in her capacity as honourary chair of the board of directors.
Glenora Slimmon was raised in Saskatchewan and began her career of service there working for the 4-H Extension Division of the University of Saskatchewan until 1957 when she took the position of women's editor with Country Guide magazine. Her next position was with Federated Co-operatives. She was president of the Consumers’ Association of Canada from 1966 to 1969. From 1972 to 1974 she worked with the Barbados government on a CIDA-sponsored project. This was followed by three years with CUSO during which she organized the farmers of Barbados into co-operative production and marketing groups.
In 1977, she and her husband retired to Brandon where she continued her co-operative development activities with Westman Media Co-operative, Brandon Farmers’ Market (as a founder), Seniors for Seniors Co-op Inc. and Parkview Housing Co-op. She has continued her association with Seniors for Seniors as the full-time volunteer director. She also sits on a number of regional health committees.
Maurice Strong, a senior advisor to the secretary-general of the United Nations and former senior advisor to the president of the World Bank, is one of the world’s most influential political and environmental activists.
Strong served on the board of directors of the United Nations Foundation, a UN-affiliated organization established by Ted Turner’s historic $1-billion donation. He is also a director of the World Economic Forum Foundation, chair of the Earth Council, former chair of the Stockholm Environment Institute and former chair of the World Resources Institute.
Born in Oak Lake, Man., Strong has amassed a fortune in a career spanning over five decades at some of Canada's most prestigious companies. He has run several companies in the energy and resources sector including the Power Corporation of Canada, Ontario Hydro and Petro-Canada. He is currently the chair of Technology Development, Inc., which funds research in the groundbreaking field of applying nanotechnology towards creating affordable and eco-friendly energy sources.
In 1970, he led the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Geneva, after which he became the executive director of the UN's environmental program. Strong also co ordinated the UN's emergency relief efforts in Africa in the mid-80s and was in charge of the historic 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. He recently took part in the reorganization of the UN's University for Peace, located in Costa Rica, and continues to help the university redefine its mission for the 21st century.
Other awards and honours include appointment as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1999 and being chosen to receive the Distinguished Canadian Leadership Award in 2003.
Neil Bardal, a third-generation funeral director (Neil Bardal Inc.) and proud Icelandic Canadian, has been a leader in the Canadian Icelandic community and a major force in promoting the Icelandic culture and history of Manitoba. He is a former honorary consul general of Iceland (Gimli) and past president of the Icelandic National League of North America. Director of the Canada Iceland Foundation and a cabinet member of Valuing Icelandic Presence at the University of Manitoba, he has also given much to the wider Manitoba community including being a member of the Rotary Club and the board of Riverview Health Centre Foundation. The son of a Hong Kong veteran, he stays keenly involved in the activities of the Hong Kong Veterans Association. Bardal lives in Husavik, just south of Gimli. In 2000, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, the highest honour bestowed by Iceland.
An Olympic medalist on the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Botterill has played on Canadian teams in four world championships as well as starring on the Harvard University women’s hockey team for four years. In 2001, she was named Manitoba’s female athlete of the year, tournament MVP in the hockey world championships and the Patty Kazmaier Award winner as the most valuable player in U.S. women’s college hockey. A silver medal winner at her first Olympics at Nagano in 1998 and a core player on the gold medal team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Botterill made her third Olympic appearance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and, with two assists in the final game, helped lead the Canadian women’s team to yet another gold medal.
James W. Burns, O.C., M.B.A., LL.D.
Dr. James W. Burns, O.C., the former CEO of Great West Life, is a leading investment executive in Canada who is equally well known for his work to improve the public service, and his community service and philanthropy. As director emeritus and former deputy chair of Power Corporation and Power Financial Corp., he has served on some of the most prestigious corporate boards including Great-West Life, Investors Group and IBM Canada. Dedicated to public service, he founded and chaired the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on Executive Compensation in Government. He is a founding director of the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada, Centennial Corp. (Manitoba) and the Manitoba Museum. A key supporter of universities, he played a leadership role in the campaign for CancerCare support at the University of Manitoba. In 2004, through the Burns Family Fund, he made a major contribution to the welfare of the Manitoba community with a donation of more than $3 million to the Winnipeg Foundation. Burns was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada in 1989.
Albert Cerilli has devoted his life to improving the lives of working people in Manitoba through his activism and commitment to human rights and social justice. A former regional vice-president of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers, his efforts to improve labour conditions began in 1950 when, as an employee of the Canadian National Railway, he worked to achieve a five-day, 40-hour work week and to ensure that placement, wages and bargaining rights were free of discrimination. After retiring from the Manitoba Federation of Labour, he served as president of the Manitoba Federation of Union Retirees and on the Executive Committee of the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada. In 1994, he became the first labour scholar-in-residence in the labour studies program at the University of Manitoba and was also integral to the development of the high-school Workers of Tomorrow Program which increases student awareness of workplace health and safety issues.
Eileen Collins has demonstrated a life-long commitment to her community. Indeed, there are few organizations, facilities or events in Pilot Mound and the surrounding area in which she has not played a leadership role. She was instrumental in the formation of the Pilot Mound Housing Corporation as well as the Fraser Development Corporation and she currently serves on the board of the corporation involved in the construction of a $2.2-million Millennium Recreation Complex. Throughout, she has promoted the use of local contractors and tradespeople. Her community service also includes being past chair and 17-year trustee of the Pilot Mound School Board, member and committee chair of the Pilot Mound and District Chamber of Commerce, secretary of the Pilot Mound Community Development Corporation and president and long-standing member of the Hospital Aid organization.
Born in Hungary, Arnold Frieman has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the Manitoba community since his arrival in the province more than 50 years ago. As president and CEO of Advance Electronics his business acumen has proved helpful to the activities of chambers of commerce and he has sat on the board of the Manitoba Economic Advisory Council and the Better Business Bureau. An avid supporter of the arts, he is a former director and vice-president of programming for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and member of the board of the Manitoba Conservatory of Music. His philanthropy includes the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and his alma mater, the University of Manitoba. A Holocaust survivor, Frieman’s membership on the Jewish Community Council and his contributions to the Rosh Pina Synagogue and Joseph Wolinski Collegiate reflect his commitment to his faith and to the State of Israel.
Manitoba’s Clara Hughes is one of only four people to ever win a medal at both a summer and winter Olympics. Growing up playing hockey and ringette in Winnipeg, she earned a silver medal at the national championships in her first year of speed skating. When the provincial speed-skating program folded, she became a cyclist and won two Olympic bronze medals at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. After her second Olympic Games in Sydney, she returned to speed skating and won a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and, in 2006, was awarded a gold and silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Following her medal victories, she generously donated $10,000 to the Right to Play non-profit charity, an organization that uses sports and play programs to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children in the Third World.
Winnipeg speed skater Cindy Klassen was the most decorated skater at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, winning five medals: one gold, two silver and two bronze, the most ever achieved by a Canadian athlete in a single Olympic Games. She was also chosen the Canadian flag-bearer at the games’ closing ceremonies. A bronze medal recipient at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics in the 3,000 metre speed-skating event, she went on to receive the overall title at the World Speed Skating Championship in 2003. An outstanding 2005 season, which saw her set four world records and win eight world medals, culminated in her being chosen for the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award by the Canadian Press as Canada’s athlete of the year. Fresh from her Olympic triumphs, Klassen won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000 metres at the speed skating World Cup Final held in the Netherlands in March 2006.
The Reverend Donald Russell Pratt
A Dakota elder, Rev. Donald Pratt is recognized throughout his community and nation for helping to keep the Dakota culture and language alive through his ministry and community service. Born in 1918, he briefly attended Elkhorn Residential School and, with only a Grade 3 education, continued to teach himself. He was ordained an Anglican Minister in 1974. He worked for the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, the St. Alban’s Parish in Oak Lake, as well as many First Nations in Canada and the United States. He is a respected historian and translator of documents from English to Dakota and vice versa for several organizations. He worked with the Sioux Valley Dakota Oyate government as a committee member and elder until 2003 and currently sits on the Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services board as one of the elders. Now retired, he continues to minister at St. Luke’s Anglican Church and offers his services whenever called upon.
In the mid 1970s, Len Smith of Churchill envisaged the creation of a tundra vehicle from which people could safely view polar bears in their natural environment. A mechanic with the Department of Public Works at Fort Churchill at the time, he first converted an old school bus, combining it with parts of a gravel truck, a snowplow, a front-end loader and the tires from a crop sprayer to thrust the homemade wide-body cab three metres into the air, safely out of reach of curious bears, to create the first Tundra Buggy. Since then, his Tundra Buggy Tours have come to attract 9,000 to 10,000 international visitors a year to Churchill, the Polar Bear Capital of the World. An essential part of Churchill’s economic viability, the polar bear tours also benefit other Manitoba communities such as Thompson and Winnipeg. In 2003, Frontiers North Adventures assumed majority ownership of Churchill’s Tundra Buggy company which continues to thrive. In 2004, Smith was recognized by the minister of culture, heritage and tourism and Mayor Michael Spence for his outstanding contribution to the Churchill tourism industry. Today, Smith is retired and lives in Florida.
Winnipeg’s own rock-and-roll legend, Neil Young has made an outstanding contribution to the field of music, while giving his time and energy to help people in need. Born in Toronto in 1945, he moved with his mother to Winnipeg in the 1960s where he formed Winnipeg-based bands The Esquires, The Classics and Neil Young and the Squires. A former member of Buffalo Springfield and Crazy Horse, he also performed with super group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for more than 30 years. A three-time Juno Award winner and member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, he was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1985, after participating in England’s Live Aid benefit concert, he became, along with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, a founding member of Farm Aid and continues to sit on its board. In 2005, Young participated in the Canadian segment of the Live 8 concert to promote the elimination of world poverty. In addition, with his wife Pegi in 1986, he founded the Bridge School for children with speech and other physical impairments for which he continues to organize and hold an annual benefit concert.
Evelyn Hart is the internationally renowned, former principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet who has shared her gift of ballet with the citizens of Manitoba and the world for almost 30 years. Beginning her dance training at the Dorothy Carter School of Dance in London at the age of 14, Miss Hart came to Winnipeg in 1973 to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division. She joined the Corps de Ballet in 1976, was promoted to soloist in 1978 and became principal dancer in 1979. In 1980, after winning a bronze medal at the World Ballet Concours in Japan, she came to international attention when she became the first Canadian to be awarded a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Since then, she has received numerous other awards and honours, including her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983 and promotion to Companion of the Order in 1994. She was named Manitoba’s Woman of the Year in 1987, and received honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba and McMaster University in Ontario. In 2000, she was given the Chalmers Award for her contribution to dance in Canada. She was also inducted into Canada’s prestigious Walk of Fame on June 23, 2000 and received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2001. Evelyn Hart has toured throughout North America, Europe and Asia with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and has also appeared as a guest artist with leading ballet companies throughout the world. Despite a demanding schedule, she has always made time to support fundraising events and charities in Manitoba and Canada, including acting as co-chair of Manitoba’s Heart and Stroke Capital Campaign.
Gail Asper is president of CanWest Global Foundation, corporate secretary of CanWest Global Communications Corp. and managing director of The Asper Foundation which is currently spearheading the establishment of the $311-million Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Asper is well known for her support of the arts and her volunteer efforts encompass a myriad of causes. She has served on the boards of numerous not-for-profit groups and was the 2002 campaign chair for the Winnipeg United Way Campaign which raised a record $13.8 million under her leadership and is now president of the board of United Way. She has also served as president of Manitoba Theatre Centre and co-chaired its successful $6-million capital campaign and ongoing $10-million endowment campaign. She sits on the board of directors for the National Arts Centre Foundation and is a governor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among numerous honours, she is the recipient of the YMCA/YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Community Voluntarism (2002); the Children’s Charity of Manitoba, Gold Heart Humanitarian of the Year Award (2004); and the Governor General’s Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts (2005).
Dean emeritus of the faculty of law at the University of Manitoba, Prof. Clifford Edwards has had a profound impact on both the study of law and its reform during his distinguished career. His efforts while dean of law led to the development of the three-year academic program and, subsequently, to the recognition of the Manitoba bachelor of laws (LL.B.) degree across Canada. As president of the Manitoba Law Reform Commission for more than 20 years, he has overseen substantial reform and improvement of the law including legislation involving the amalgamation of the courts, election financing and systems of voter registration, health-care directives, and domestic violence and stalking prevention. He was a member of the University of Manitoba’s board of governors, chair of the Committee of Canadian Law Teachers and member and chair of the Canadian board of governors of the Society of International Ministries. In 2006, he was appointed a member of the Order of Canada.
One of Canada’s most renowned artists, Ivan Eyre has few peers in the field of contemporary art. Professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art, his work, covering five decades, has been exhibited at galleries in Canada and abroad including the National Gallery in Ottawa; the 49th Parallel Gallery in New York; the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett in Frankfurt, Germany; the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, France; and Canada House in London, England. His art is also in major public and corporate collections across Canada, as well as in many private collections in Canada and overseas. The third floor of the Pavilion Gallery in Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park is dedicated to his work and he has promised or donated in excess of 200 paintings, 5,000 drawings and 16 sculptures to it. Known for his public generosity, he has also donated many pieces to public galleries across the country.
Janice Filmon’s name is synonymous with volunteerism in Manitoba. The wife of former premier Gary Filmon, she is perhaps best known for her fundraising acumen and tireless commitment to worthy causes. A cancer survivor, she serves on the board of directors of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and is a past member of the board of the Manitoba Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer and former honourary chair, speaker and fundraiser for the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation Capital Campaign. Her past public service includes: chair of festivals for the 1999 Pan American Games; chair of Foundations for Health ($21-million campaign to build a new research building); inaugural chair, Festival of Trees; and member of the executive and board, Manitoba Heart Foundation. She was the founding co-chair of Leadership Winnipeg and founding chair of Manitoba A.L.I.V.E., a leadership initiative which teaches selected high-school students the skills needed in the voluntary sector. Currently on the board of the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, Filmon received the University of Manitoba’s Distinguished Alumni Award and Peter D. Curry Chancellor’s Award in 2005 and the Variety Gold Heart Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2006.
Born and raised in Altona, Elmer Hildebrand is one of Manitoba’s broadcasting pioneers. He started work with Golden West Broadcasting in 1957 and became general manager in 1965. Under his leadership, the company grew from two AM stations in Altona and Steinbach to a chain of 28 radio stations across the prairies. He is a founding member and past president of the Broadcasters Association of Manitoba and served as president of the Western Association of Broadcasters and chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. A strong supporter of communities across southern Manitoba, he is president of Altona Mall Developments and Elmer Hildebrand Communications Inc., which owns three additional radio stations in Saskatoon, Sask. He built the first shopping mall in southern Manitoba, and served as president and commissioner of the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League for many years. In 1997, he was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Radio Southern Manitoba and Hildebrand has been there for every one of those years.
John Albert Jack is a retired principal of Andrew Mynarski School who worked as an educator in Manitoba for 35 years. Throughout his career and beyond, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to the well-being of Manitoba’s ethnocultural population. He is a former chair and current elected member of the Manitoba Ethnocultural Advisory and Advocacy Council, executive secretary of the National Council of Black Educators, president of the Black Educators Association of Manitoba and a member of the board of governors of Red River College. He has served as director of the Folk Arts Council of Manitoba, sat on the City of Winnipeg’s Race Relations Committee and led workshops on race relations and racial harmony. He is co-founder of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Association of Winnipeg, the Black Educators Association of Manitoba and the Council of Caribbean Organizations of Manitoba. As co-chair of the board of directors for the Caribbean Cultural Centre, he was an active force in the efforts to secure a Caribbean Cultural Centre in Manitoba. He is the recipient of several honours including the Black Educators Association of Manitoba 2006 Hall of Fame Award.
Former Lynn Lake resident Lynn Johnston has been entertaining and educating newspaper readers in 23 countries for more than 25 years with her For Better or Worse comic strip detailing stories of the fictional ‘Pattersons’ based on her own family. Syndicated in more than 2,000 papers reaching a potential 220 million readers every day, it is proudly Canadian and extremely sensitive to social and cultural concerns. Recent story lines have included student teaching in a northern community and visits to relatives in rural Manitoba. Johnston was the first female and first Canadian winner of the Reuben Award and was honoured as Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonist Society in the United States, which also recognized her work in 1992 as the Best Syndicated Comic Strip. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1991 and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1994.
A member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Verna J. Kirkness is associate professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. A leading advocate of Aboriginal education, her work has gained international acclaim. Beginning in 1954 she taught in provincial, then federal day and residential schools in Manitoba. In the 70s, she was instrumental in introducing Cree and Ojibway as languages of instruction in several Manitoba schools. Kirkness went to UBC in 1981 where, under her leadership, the Native Indian Teacher Education Program became one of the most successful in the country. In 1987, as the first director of the First Nations House of Learning, she worked to extend support to all Aboriginal students at UBC and oversaw the First Nations longhouse project. She is a member of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation and the Council on Ph.D. Studies for Aboriginal Scholars at the University of Manitoba, founder of the World Indigenous People’s Education Conference and has been published extensively including seven books. Kirkness was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1998.
An economist with a keen research mind, Dr. S. June Menzies has spent decades tirelessly advocating for women and social justice. In the 1960s and 70s, she sensitized the public and pushed the government for the need to reform family law so women, at the time of divorce, would share equally in the accumulated benefits from a marriage. One of the first to tackle violence against women in the home, she dedicated half her family business space to create the first women’s shelter, Osborne House. She was central to the development of the original Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women, responsible for the framework for the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the first vice-president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Recently president of the Life Members of the Provincial Councils of Women of Manitoba and volunteer and board member at the West Broadway Community Ministry Outreach program, she is currently a strong voice working for reform in mental health and governmental accountability in Manitoba. She was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1980.
Ken ‘Kenny’ Ploen is an icon in Manitoba’s sports history whose celebrated 11 years as quarterback with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are legendary. Born and raised in Iowa, after his entry in the Canadian Football League he made Manitoba his home. Fifty years ago, in 1957, he was recruited to Winnipeg from the University of Iowa Hawkeyes by new Blue Bomber head coach Bud Grant. From 1957 to 1967, he led the Bombers to six Grey Cup appearances and four victories. On retiring in 1967, his impressive stats included 1,080 completions of 1,916 passes attempted for 16,470 yards and 119 touchdown passes, making him the sixth all-time CFL passer and fifth all-time Bomber rusher with 2,931 yards. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1997, among other tributes. Since retirement, Ploen has been involved in numerous volunteer and charitable activities including Folklorama and the Winnipeg Humane Society as well as serving on the boards of the Manitoba Heart Foundation, the former Society for Crippled Children and Adults of Manitoba and Rainbow Stage.
During a more than 30-year career with the Political Studies Department at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Paul G. Thomas has significantly contributed to the field of public administration in Manitoba and Canada. Appointed the university’s first Duff Roblin Professor in Government in 1999, he received two university-wide teaching awards, is widely cited for his analyses of the activities of federal and provincial institutions, and has become an invaluable advisor to government departments and a respected political commentator on public governance. He has led or participated in public inquiries on health care, economic growth, urban governance, electoral reform and access to information. He served as an advisor to three committees of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and was the first chair of the Order of Manitoba Advisory Council. Presently, Thomas serves as first chair of the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety and the Government of Manitoba Regional Planning Advisory Committee and acts as a consultant to the Manitoba Aboriginal Justice Implementation Committee. In 2003, he was awarded the Vanier Medal by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, one of the highest recognitions for Canadian public administrators.
A member of the St. Theresa Point First Nation and respected elder, Ed Wood has dedicated his life to the betterment of the people of Island Lake and, more broadly, the First Nations people of Manitoba and Canada. Fluent in his own language of Oji-Cree and throughout a more than 50-year career, he has worked to promote and preserve Aboriginal culture in Manitoba. Stressing the importance of education, he has been actively engaged in efforts to pass on the language and traditional way of life to the youth of Island Lake. He has assisted Island Lake communities in the areas of health services, housing needs, political and economic development, and treaty land entitlement. The recipient of the Indian Business Development Group’s Businessman of the Year Award (1985), Wood currently serves as associate chair of the East Side Planning Initiative, the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin (WNO). A member of Manitoba’s Aboriginal Resource Council, he has been a consultant on First Nations governance, an advisor on economic and resource development, a First Nations political and policy analyst and a financial and business advisor. He has worked with First Nations in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
A former country school teacher, while director of Child Development
Services, he helped to establish clinical services in rural
and northern Manitoba schools. Later, with the Department of
Corrections, he sought to emphasize the rehabilitation of offenders
by promoting work and education programs. He was central to
the development of Project Prevention, one of the first crime
prevention programs in Canada involving community volunteers
and restorative justice concepts. He greatly assisted with
the establishment of Child Find, is a co-founder of the Manitoba
Teen Touch crisis line and served as Manitoba’s representative
to a UN conference on crime prevention. The recipient of the
Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public
Service Management, he has assisted with numerous community
projects in Headingley where he is a member of the chamber
of commerce and serves on the board of Camp Manitou.
She grew up on the trap line in Cumberland House, Saskatchewan,
before moving to The Pas and subsequently Churchill in 1956.
A volunteer with countless community events in Churchill, she
has been a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation for
more than 30 years and served as president of the Churchill
Local for 14 years. Now an Elder at the Local, she has been
a valued storyteller for the past 15 years helping to keep
the Métis culture alive. After raising her family, she
turned to the Aboriginal art form of caribou hair tufting and
began to create unique pieces of art by sculpting in three
dimensional layers to achieve a new look and new form now known
as Myrtle’s Caribou Hair Sculptures. Her works of art,
which celebrate scenes of the north, have been sold around
the world.
The former president and CEO and current chair of the board
of Friesens Corporation, he is a business leader and enthusiastic
supporter of higher education and community life in Manitoba.
Operating in Altona since 1907, Friesens is the largest independent
book manufacturer in Canada. Named Altona’s “Citizen
of the Year” in 2002, he served on the Rhineland School
Division board and was active in the chamber of commerce and
other local Altona organizations. As chair of the University
of Manitoba’s most recent Capital Campaign “Building
on Strengths”, he led the most successful fundraising
campaign in the university’s history raising $250 million.
His extensive service on boards includes The National Arts
Centre in Ottawa, the Fort Whyte Centre for Environmental Education
and the Business Council of Manitoba. Among his many honours,
in 2006 he was named Printer of the Year and was also named
to the Manitoba Manufacturer’s Hall of Fame by the Canadian
Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
A successful farmer, sometime poet and community leader, he
is keenly interested in Manitoba’s Icelandic heritage.
A founding member and shareholder of Northstar Seeds Ltd.,
he is a pioneer in the establishment of the leafcutting bee
as a pollinator of alfalfa fields in Manitoba. He is also a
founding member of the Manitoba Leafcutter Bee Association
and founding chair of the Canadian Alfalfa Seed Council. Additional
areas of community service include being a reeve of the RM
of Bifrost and current chair of the Manitoba Farm Products
Marketing Council. His extensive involvement with the Icelandic
community includes as chair of the Esjan Chapter of the Icelandic
National League of North America. In 2000, he was presented
with the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon
by Iceland’s President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson.
She is globally recognized for her contributions to the nursing
profession. After receiving her nursing diploma in 1939, she
worked in hospitals and clinics across Canada and began teaching
at the University of Manitoba’s School of Nursing in
1962 where she became director in 1972. As president of the
Canadian Nurses Association she contributed to the wording
and scope of the Canada Health Act (1984), which gave nurses
more power to treat patients. Having served as Canada’s
representative to two World Health Assemblies, she is also
a past president of the Manitoba Association of Registered
Nurses and was first vice-president of the International Council
of Nurses. Appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 1988,
she is presently professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba’s
faculty of nursing located in the building that bears her name:
The Helen Glass Centre for Nursing.
Dean Emeritus at the faculty of education at the University
of Manitoba, he was the first and only Filipino-Canadian to
become the dean of education at a major university in Canada.
A leader in the Filipino-community, he is an expert in the
areas of multiculturalism, immigration and intercultural education.
He served as president of the associations for multicultural
education in Newfoundland and Manitoba, vice-president of the
United Council of Filipino Associations in Canada and chair
of the Manitoba Ethno cultural Advisory Council. He was instrumental
to the development of the $2.3 million Philippine-Canadian
Centre of Manitoba and served as its first president. His present
service includes regional deputy commander (Western Canada)
of the Order of the Knights of Rizal as well as being a member
of the board of directors of the Winnipeg and Seven Oaks General
Hospital foundations.
He has tirelessly worked to address the complex problems of
Manitoba’s First Nations communities while promoting
their spiritual, social, cultural and economic well-being.
He is a senior pastor, president and founder of The Fairford
Sanctuary, a National Missions Outreach Canada & Training
Centre and District Director of Aboriginal Ministries with
the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. As a magistrate (1982-1992),
he was a strong advocate for justice and fairness especially
among Manitoba’s Aboriginal communities and influential
in counseling Aboriginal offenders. Traveling, without remuneration,
to First Nations communities throughout Manitoba, he has conducted
workshops, seminars and conferences and has developed a written ‘vision
plan’, designed to alleviate hardships which beleaguer
many First Nation communities in Canada. He also sits on the
board of the Interlake Regional Health Authority.
An environmental activist and member of the Poplar River First
Nation, she worked unceasingly for eight years to secure interim
protection for more than two million acres of Poplar River’s
undisturbed boreal forest. By 2004, along with other community
leaders, she had led the development of a precedent-setting,
comprehensive land protection and management plan for this
territory, while helping secure five more years of “interim
protected status”. For her efforts, she was awarded the
2007 Goldman Environmental Prize, one of the world’s
most prestigious grassroots environmental awards and $125,000
US from the Goldman Foundation. She is only the third Canadian
recipient of this award. She is presently working with other
First Nations in Manitoba and Ontario to safeguard an even
larger region of First Nations’ boreal forest as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
The seventh family president of James Richardson & Sons,
Limited, he is well-known for his business acumen, philanthropy
and volunteerism. His directorships include Angiotech Pharmaceuticals
Inc., Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canadian Council of Chief
Executives and the Business Council of Manitoba. Other affiliations
include The Trilateral Commission, the World Economic Forum
Global Leaders of Tomorrow and the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Actively involved in a number of charitable endeavours and
community organizations, he has served as chair of the 2004
Winnipeg United Way Campaign, the Canadian Institute for the
Blind “That All May Read Campaign” and as co-chair
of the Manitoba Theatre Centre Capital Campaign. He has also
been the driving force behind the revitalization of Assiniboine
Park and serves as board chair of the recently established
Assiniboine Park Conservancy. He was appointed a member of
the Order of Canada in 2007.
He has made a mark through his artistic creations as a painter,
bird carver and master-class bronze sculptor and his work is
admired in collections around the world. The recipient of numerous
commissions in North America, his sculptures are displayed
in many locations in Manitoba including Winnipeg’s Portage
and Main, the Riverbank Park in Selkirk and the Ducks Unlimited
Discovery Centre in Brandon. Equally admired for his commitment
to community, he has donated many art works for fundraising
to such organizations as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and
the Fort Whyte Centre. He is a member of the board of directors
of CancerCare Manitoba, contributed to the Bears on Broadway
Project and assisted with the Golden Boy restoration. He has
also served on many rural organizations including the chamber
of commerce and volunteer fire department in Glenboro.
An internationally recognized aging and health-care researcher,
her work has particularly benefited the elderly in Manitoba
and across Canada. A member of the Order of Canada, her career
has included academic, research, advisory and government positions.
Among a long list, she is a professor and senior scholar in
the Department of Community Health Sciences and research associate
of the aging in Manitoba Longitudinal Study. She is also a
former chair of the Manitoba Health Services Commission. One
of her most valued contributions to the public health of Manitobans
was as director of the Office of Continuing Care where she
was responsible for the development and implementation of its
single point of access Continuing Care program, the first provincewide
home care program in Canada. This program has served as the
model for subsequent programs in other Canadian provinces and
elsewhere in the world.
She has advanced human rights and the status of women in Manitoba
and internationally. During the 1970s, she served on the Human
Rights Commission of Manitoba, the Manitoba Action Committee
on the Status of Women and was the first woman president of
the Manitoba NDP. Elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1981,
she helped pave the way for other women to seek political office.
She held a number of positions in the Howard Pawley government
where she became the first woman deputy premier in Canada and
held a number of portfolios including minister responsible
for the status of women. Leaving politics in 1988, her continued
community commitment included serving as president of the United
Nations Association in Canada. An officer in the Order of Canada,
she is currently vice-president of the National Council of
Women of Canada.
A successful businessman, philanthropist and leader in the
Manitoba Muslim community, he is president and CEO of Peerless
Garments LP and founder and chair of the Alhijra Islamic School.
He is a past president of the Manitoba Islamic Association,
founder of Winnipeg’s Muslim Mosque and a co-founder
and vice-president of the Islamic Social Services Association
of Manitoba. He is a supporter of various charitable organizations
such as CDS Military Families Fund, Canadian Museum of Human
Rights and the St. Boniface, Concordia and Health Sciences
Centre Foundations. He also works to facilitate integration
and settlement of immigrants from war-torn countries to Manitoba.
Dedicated to the promotion of tolerance, respect and understanding,
he sits on the board of the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice.
He was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2003.
She is a passionate and visionary advocate for Winnipeg’s
social service sector, especially in her work to improve the
quality of life of seniors and the disabled, and has impacted
the development of social policies at the local, national and
international levels. She has also led many community support
organizations including the Volunteer Centre of Winnipeg, the
Age and Opportunity Centre Inc. and the Klinic Community Health
Centre. She is a member of the Canadian Association on Gerontology
and past president of the National Advisory Council on Aging,
the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (Manitoba Chapter)
and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. She was appointed a
member of the Order of Canada in 1995. She continues her advocacy
work as a consultant and advisor on disability issues.
Former president and CEO of the Great-West Life Assurance
Company and chancellor emeritus of Brandon University, he is
one of Manitoba’s most highly-respected business and
community leaders. A founding member of the Manitoba Business
Council and former chair of the Conference Board of Canada,
he continues to serve as a director on numerous boards including
Great-West Lifeco Inc. (Canada and U.S.). Deeply committed
to higher education, he has served on a provincial commission
on post-secondary education and is a past-chair of the University
of Manitoba’s Development Council. A strong supporter
of the arts through his philanthropy and service, he is a former
director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and served as a governor
of the Banff Centre for the Arts. In 2002, he was appointed
a member of the Order of Canada.
One of the first female television broadcasters in western
Canada, she has been a staple on Manitoba television for more
than three decades. She has worn many hats at CTV television
including producing the news, providing weather coverage and
hosting public affairs shows. Her commitment to the arts and
to her community is seen in her reporting and her volunteerism.
Over countless summer weekends she has donated her time to
festival appearances throughout Manitoba. She has served on
arts boards and been involved in many charity fundraising campaigns.
In the past 17 years, as main spokesperson for the United Way
CTV Koats For Kids program, she has helped drive donations
of more than 136,000 winter-wear items for Manitoba children
in need. She has received several honours including the YM-YWCA
Woman of Distinction Award (2004).
A world-renowned screenwriter and director of both feature
and short films who has stayed fiercely true to his roots;
filtering his experiences as a Manitoban through his own creative
lense. His first feature film, “Tales from the Gimli
Hospital” (1988) gained him international attention.
He has showcased the talents of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in “Dracula:
Pages from a Virgin’s Diary” (2002) which won an
international Emmy and gave Isabella Rossellini beer-filled ‘gams’ in “The
Saddest Music in the World” (2003). Throughout, his films
have remained as innovative as they are inspirational. Recently,
his homage to his hometown, “My Winnipeg” (2007)
garnered awards and accolades and brought acclaim to Manitoba.
In 2007, he became the first artist-curator of the UCLA Film
Archives.
He is the long-time artistic director of the Cercle Molière,
Canada’s oldest theatre company. In a career spanning
40 years, he has made an exceptional contribution to the development
of French theatre and the promotion of French language and
culture west of Quebec. He has produced and directed close
to 200 shows at Cercle Molière, strongly promoting Manitoba’s
francophone playwrights and creating links between the francophone
community and all Manitobans. He is also the founder of le
Festival Théâtre Jeunesse and co-founder of l’Association
des théâtre francophones du Canada. He has lent
his talents to a number of boards including serving as vice-president
and co-founder of l'Association des compagnies de théâtre
de l'Ouest and on the board of directors of The National Theatre
School and Prairie Theatre Exchange. His honours include the
2008 Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction.
He is a Sayisi Dene elder who has served his people and his
country with distinction and has played an important role in
improving the quality of life for Canada’s Aboriginal
veterans. Joining the Canadian Forces in 1962, his service
took him to Cypress and Germany for peacekeeping duties and
to Quebec during the FLQ crisis. He left the Forces in 1971
and enjoyed a long career with Corrections Canada. Since his
2000 retirement, he has been travelling the province, visiting
schools and other venues to promote awareness of the contributions
and sacrifices Aboriginal veterans have made. Among others,
he is a member of the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry
Association and the National Aboriginal Veterans Association.
His work with the latter was instrumental to the installation
of the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Ottawa in 2001.
Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she is one
of Canada’s most distinguished economists and public
servants. In a career spanning five decades, she has become
a leader in international trade and economic policy and a highly
accomplished academic. Joining the federal government in 1965,
she went on to become the first female deputy minister in Ottawa.
Among the posts she held were chief statistician, deputy minister
of International Trade and chair of the Economic Council of
Canada. She was also head of economics and statistics for the
Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Included in a long list, she is an expert adviser to the Commission
on Transnational Corporations of the United Nations and a founding
member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. Presently
a distinguished research fellow at the Centre for International
Studies, University of Toronto, she holds many honours including
that of companion in the Order of Canada.
A native Manitoban and graduate of the University of Manitoba’s
Faculty of Medicine, he is an internationally renowned physician-scientist
and expert in infectious diseases who has significantly contributed
to global health. His leadership roles with the National Microbiology
Laboratory (Winnipeg), the Centre for Infectious Disease Control
and Prevention (Ottawa) and Canada’s Public Health Agency
as chief scientific advisor are testament to his expertise
and groundbreaking research efforts. He showed exceptional
leadership during the SARS crisis and is at the centre of the
international response to the H1N1 flu virus. He has authored
several landmark studies in the HIV/AIDS fields and his management
of international collaborative research has been cited as the “paradigm” to
follow. His current focus is on the mechanisms of HIV resistance;
crucial studies in the development of vaccines and treatments
for HIV infections. In 2007, he was appointed an officer in
the Order of Canada.
She is the only female officer with the Winnipeg Police Service
(WPS) to have held every rank from constable to superintendent.
Throughout her 28-year career, she has been a pioneer, role
model and a source of inspiration to women in policing across
Canada. In 2004, she became the first female in WPS history
to be promoted to the rank of superintendent. Currently, she
oversees Investigative Operations including Homicide and Major
Crimes. She is a member of the Canadian and Manitoba Associations
of Chiefs of Police, as well as the International Association
of Women Police. In 2002, she founded the Winnipeg Police Service
Policewomen's Network. Its mandate includes recruitment, retention,
mentorship and support of female officers. A strong advocate
of higher education, she received her MBA in 2006. Among her
honours, she is the recipient of the Governor General's Exemplary
Service Medal.
President emeritus at the University of Manitoba, she is a
distinguished scholar, teacher, researcher, scientist and administrator.
Her tenure as president and vice-chancellor of the University
of Manitoba (1996 to 2008) inspired a significant period of
growth and renewal for the university while contributing to
the social, economic and cultural well-being of the people
of Manitoba. She promoted accessibility at the university,
particularly among Aboriginal and international students. Under
her leadership, enrolment increased, academic programs expanded,
research funding grew to more than $100 million annually and
collaborative research with scientists around the world flourished.
Her committee and board service is extensive including on the
boards of the St. Boniface General Hospital and Manitoba Museum
Foundation. Nationally, among others, she sits on the board
of directors of Power Corporation of Canada. She is a member
of the Order of Canada.
She began her long-time association with the United Way of
Winnipeg in the late 1970s. Throughout, she has demonstrated
an unwavering commitment to her community and the well-being
of Manitobans. A former director of Outreach Services with
the YMCA/YWCA of Winnipeg, she went on to fill many roles at
the United Way including campaign director, director of major
giving and director of resource development. Her expertise,
compassion and respect for her community were keenly appreciated
by the more than 70 agencies connected with the United Way.
She also played an instrumental role in facilitating the establishment
of the Fort Garry Women’s Resource Centre and Citizens’ Advocacy
Manitoba. As well, she worked alongside others to initiate
a program to supply disadvantaged women with donated furniture
and household goods. Now retired from her full-time position,
she remains a steadfast United Way volunteer.
A pioneer in Manitoba’s film industry, she is an award-winning filmmaker; a writer, director and producer of immense talent. One of Winnipeg Film Group’s earliest members, her first short film, The Performer (1980), received the Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Frequently highlighting the works of acclaimed Canadian writers such as Carol Shields and Margaret Atwood, she is also one of the first filmmakers to bring stories of First Nations and Métis people to the screen. She has garnered Directors’ Guild of Canada and Blizzard awards for best direction; her television movie, Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story (2003), received the American Indian Film Festival Best Film Award; and her television mini-series, The Capture of the Green River Killer (2008), was one of Lifetime Network’s highest-rated series. A former director mentor for the National Screen Institute’s Drama Prize Winners, she continues to mentor new filmmakers.
She has made an outstanding contribution to community service in a variety of endeavours at both the local and national levels. A former president of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada and secretary of the Canadian Jewish Congress, her extensive board involvement includes the past presidency of the Winnipeg Jewish Federation and the Age and Opportunity Centre, and serving on the boards of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the United Way of Greater Winnipeg, St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg Library Foundation and the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. Appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1982, she is well known for her fundraising acumen and generosity to many Winnipeg social, cultural and educational institutions. Presently, she serves on the board of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
First elected New Democratic member of the legislative assembly (MLA) for Concordia in 1986, by 1990 he led the official opposition and was elected Manitoba’s 20th premier in 1999; a position he held for a decade winning three consecutive majority governments. Among his many legacies in office, he was a supportive partner to a number of urban redevelopment projects. These include Winnipeg’s Waterfront Drive, The Forks, the new Manitoba Hydro building downtown and Red River Community College’s Exchange-District campus, the millennium library, the MTS entertainment centre and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Elsewhere, his support was seen in the relocation of Assiniboine Community College in Brandon to maintain the history of the Brandon mental health site. Well known for his promotion of water protection and renewable energy, in 2005 he was recognized by Business Week magazine as one of the top 20 leaders in the world on climate change and clean-energy development. On Aug. 28th, 2009, he was named Canada’s 23rd ambassador to the United States.
A specialist in pediatrics and Aboriginal and newborn medicine, for more than 50 years he made an exceptional contribution to northern health care, particularly among the Aboriginal and Inuit children of communities in northern Manitoba and Nunavut. He graduated from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland in 1945, arriving in Canada in 1952. He became head of the department of pediatrics at St. Boniface Hospital while also working at Health Sciences Centre. His passion for northern health care began with his first trip to Rankin Inlet in 1956 as a medical consultant. He continued to fly bi-monthly to northern communities until well into his late 70s. A tenacious advocate for the needs of his northern patients, he has also promoted an interest in practising in the north among countless medical students and new physicians. He retired in 2007 at the age of 85.
Born in 1949 at Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba, he is a former band chief, provincial and federal legislator and long-time advocate for First Nations people and indigenous and human rights in Canada and abroad. As the MLA for Rupertsland (1981-1992), a first for a Manitoba treaty Indian, he also served as minister of northern affairs. In 1990, he gained national attention when he opposed passage in the provincial legislature of the Meech Lake Accord, a Canadian constitutional amendment, citing lack of adequate participation and recognition of Aboriginal people in the process. As the member of parliament for Churchill (1993-97), he was instrumental to the signing of The Framework Agreement Initiative with Manitoba chiefs. His international advocacy has taken him around the world including the International Court of Justice at The Hague, the United Nations in New York, and reconciliation meetings in Australia and New Zealand. Presently on the board of the National Centre for First Nations Governance, he continues to promote human and Aboriginal rights.
He has contributed immeasurably to Manitoba and Canada as a leader in the business sector, the grain industry, and through his support of the arts, education and Aboriginal communities. A former president of Cargill Limited, he has led and directed organizations and corporations across the country through numerous board and committee appointments. The founding chair of both the Business Council of Manitoba and CentrePort, his extensive directorships include the Conference Board of Canada and the Winnipeg Airports Authority. A staunch proponent of increased Aboriginal participation in the workforce, he has served as director of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and member of the Canadian Aboriginal Economic Development Board. His support of the Manitoba arts community includes service with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and as national chair of the campaign for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Endowment Fund. Among the honours he has received, he was the 2009 recipient of the University of Winnipeg’s Duff Roblin Award.
A former social worker, she has volunteered full time for more than four decades working to address issues of inequality while promoting social justice. Chair of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) Manitoba, her 20-year involvement has included service on its national board. She has contributed to the founding and chairing of an impressive number of societies including the Elizabeth Fry Society, served with the John Howard Society at the local and national levels and participated in the Solicitor General’s Task Force on Planning for Women Who Receive Federal Sentences. An executive member of the board of Community Living Manitoba, she has also lent her skills in the past to support a number of grassroots self-help groups such as Mothers’ Allowance (now Mothers on Social Assistance) and to lobby successfully for the security of lunch and after-school programs for children of working parents. She is a recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award.
She is the founder and volunteer director of the Osu Children’s Library Fund (OCLF), a not-for-profit charity established in 1991 to bring books and literacy into the lives of thousands of disadvantaged children and adults in Ghana, West Africa. From establishing her first community library in the capital city of Accra with the purchase of a 40-foot shipping container to building the two-storey Nima Maamobi Community Learning Centre in 2006, she has seen her efforts expand to towns and villages throughout the country. Member of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation since 2000, the OCLF now supports more than 150 community libraries in Ghana and other African countries. The libraries have become centres for child-and-adult literacy classes, food programs, and cultural and sports activities. Also active with many service organizations in the Winnipeg community, she is the recipient of the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal.
He played a vital role in the establishment of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Building on the vision of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), the MCC Food Bank was expanded and reorganized in 1983 to include 13 other member church agencies and the CFGB was formed. As the CFGB’s first executive director (1983-1990), he helped it become one of the world’s largest private food-aid providers dedicated to famine relief and ending world hunger. This involved his successful negotiations with the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), to allow farmers to deliver and donate grain outside of the quota system to CWB handling facilities, and with the Canadian International Development Agency, to agree to match every CFGB donation on a four-to-one basis. A mark of the solid foundation he developed, by 2005 the CFGB had provided more than 944,000 tons of food to more than 68 countries.
The CEO of the Brandon Regional Health Authority (Brandon RHA), for more than three decades she has demonstrated exemplary leadership in supporting and developing health care in rural Manitoba and in increasing employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal people within the health-care system. She led the implementation of major mental-health reform in western Manitoba, moving from an institutional to community-based service, deemed a model for the country. She was central to the development and implementation of the Brandon RHA Aboriginal Workforce Initiative, also lauded as a model for Canada. She has served and continues to serve on numerous provincial and national committees, councils and task forces. Currently chair of the Regional Health Authorities Board of Manitoba, Inc., she is also a member of the Southwest Region Manitoba Métis Federation Knowledge Network examining how the health system can better serve First Nations people.
He has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the people of Cross Lake, particularly respecting life-changing opportunities he has provided to the community’s youth. A volunteer, unpaid member of the Cross Lake Community Council for 20 years, he serves in various capacities throughout the community. He is certified and involved in training for the Canadian Red Cross and for the province regarding emergency medical services and ground search and rescue. Concerned by the difficulties facing the area’s youth, he was instrumental in founding the Royal Army Cadets Corp #38 of which he serves as commanding officer. The program has taught skills, leadership and community citizenship to countless of the community’s youth, many of whom come from at-risk backgrounds, offering them inspiration to steer a positive course in life. The Cross Lake Cadet program has been recognized across Manitoba for its achievements.
A graduate of Grant Park High School and the University of Manitoba, he has dedicated almost 20 years to international relief work, often at his own peril. A registered nurse, in 1992 he joined the emergency medical group Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) which saw him dispatched to many of the world’s trouble spots including the Kenya-Somali border (1992), where he directed a 200-bed emergency bush hospital; and Afghanistan (1994-95), where he directed a Kabul war hospital project facing frequent air and artillery attacks; as well as working in Chechnya, Sri Lanka, Kosovo, Sarajevo and Pakistan. He has worked with the United Nations’ World Food Program (UNWFP) since 1998 and as a member of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team; assignments taking him to Kosovo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza, Tanzania and Turkmenistan with emergency deployments to earthquakes/tsunamis in Indonesia and Pakistan. One of Life Magazine’s Heroes of the Year (1998), he is presently an advisor at the UNWFP in Somalia.
Whether as a musician, journalist, administrator, public servant or businessman, Jim Carr's contributions to Manitoba are as many and varied as his distinguished career. The founding president and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba since 1998, his leadership is credited with creating productive channels of communication between government and the business community. A graduate of McGill University, he is a former oboist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and later became its director of development, a trustee and member of its board of directors. He also served as executive director of the Manitoba Arts Council. From 1988 to 1992, he was a member of the Manitoba legislative assembly and served as deputy leader of the Liberal official opposition. An accomplished journalist, he wrote for the Globe and Mail and sat on the editorial board of the Winnipeg Free Press (1992-1997). His extensive board service includes the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. He is also director emeritus of the board of the Canada West Foundation and was a founding co-chair of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council.
Patrick Choy is professor emeritus and advisor to the president of the University of Manitoba (U of M). He was the associate dean of research at the faculty of medicine at the U of M and the founder and director of the Centre for Research and Treatment of Atherosclerosis at the U of M and Health Sciences Centre. Globally recognized for his cardiovascular research and advocacy of healthy living, he is also a community volunteer and leader in Manitoba’s Chinese community. He spearheaded the formation of the East-West Alliance (2006) at the U of M, a prominent consortium comprised of 10 top world universities (e.g., Stanford and Oxford) working to address issues in global health. A former vice-president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, he is currently vice-president of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre. In 2005, Dr. Choy established the Winnipeg Chinese Community Fund (vested in the Winnipeg Foundation) to support initiatives which promote a better understanding of Chinese culture.
The son of Russian immigrants, Art DeFehr is a much-honoured businessman, humanitarian and philanthropist who has bettered the lives of Manitobans and others around the world. He is the CEO of family-owned Palliser Furniture in Winnipeg, a great Canadian success story in furniture manufacturing. A member of the Trilateral Commission and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, he is also a past member of the World Economic Forum. His directorships include the Canadian Mennonite University and the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre. Dedicated to alleviating global poverty and hunger, he was a founding chair of the board of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. He has served as the United Nations high commissioner for refugees to Somalia and was the first director of the Mennonite Central Committee agriculture and refugee program in Bangladesh. Among other accomplishments, he played a significant role in creating the Lithuania Christian College in Russia and the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. He was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada in 2004.
A registered clinical psychologist and professor in the department of psychology at the University of Manitoba (U of M), Dr. De Luca is internationally recognized for her pioneering research and approach to treatment for victims of abuse, particularly child abuse. The first woman to become director of clinical training in the university’s clinical psychology graduate program, she also served as clinical supervisor of the Native Clan Organization and with the St. Boniface Hospital’s Child and Adolescent psychiatric program. Her research has been published worldwide and she has presented throughout North America on topics ranging from childhood trauma to the treatment of adult sexual offenders and the warning signs of youth violence. Involved with countless organizations focusing on solutions to violence and abuse, Dr. De Luca is the recipient of the 2008 YMCA-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (health and wellness). She was awarded the 2010 Clifford Robson Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the profession of psychology.
Henry Idonije has devoted his years of ministry in Manitoba to humanitarian efforts and advocacy, especially on behalf of the poor and the homeless in Brandon. After he and his family immigrated to Manitoba from Nigeria in 1984, he completed his master’s degree in divinity at Providence College Theological Seminary in Otterburn. Even then, he and his wife were known for giving food to people in need from their own kitchen. In 1987, the family moved to Brandon and he became pastor of the Tabernacle of The Lord Church. Supported by his wife Choice, he continued his efforts on behalf of the less fortunate with the establishment of StreetLove (SLI) in 1988. During his time with SLI, it served thousands of meals, provided emergency shelter for nearly 1,000 individuals and referred 1,200 to counseling agencies. Pastor Idonije also served on the Brandon Homelessness Steering Committee and as the chaplain for the Brandon Police Service (2003-2009), a voluntary position.
Eugene Kostyra has had an exemplary career in public service in Manitoba, both in elected office and as a senior official. From 1973 to 1981, and again from 1988 to 2000, he worked with the Canadian Union of Public Employees holding the positions of Manitoba regional director and executive assistant to the national president. As a New Democratic member of the legislative assembly (Seven Oaks) from 1981 to 1988, he was also minister of several portfolios including industry, trade and technology, culture and recreation, and finance. After leaving office, he assisted governments in Canada and abroad with transition, democratic reform and community development including in Yugoslavia, Uganda and Serbia. From 1999 to 2006, he served as secretary to the Community and Economic Development Committee of Cabinet; the government’s lead staffer on many major economic initiatives (e.g., MTS Centre development). A key supporter of the Winnipeg Folk Festival since its inception, he is also active on many boards including CentrePort Canada, the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club.
Much admired in northern Manitoba for his dedicated, selfless service, he has been one of the driving forces behind the success of the annual Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival held each February in The Pas. What started in 1916 as a forum for area trappers to meet and compete has become a celebration of northern culture and heritage which attracts visitors from around the world, and Sonny Lavallee’s 28 years of service to the festival have been central to its success. As general chairman of the festival in 2011, he oversaw the most successful ever, drawing an estimated 30,000 people. In recognition of his commitment, he received the designation Honourary Trapper in 2000. A former Kinsmen and active community volunteer, among other endeavours, he has assisted with the Halcrow Lake Golf Club, the Sam Waller Museum and encouraged youth participation in sport. Mr. Lavallee was named 2009 Citizen of the Year by The Pas and District Chamber of Commerce and the local media.
President and chief executive officer of the United Way of Winnipeg since 1985,
Susan Lewis has devoted more than 30 years to building caring communities. Under her leadership, the United Way has evolved from being strictly a funding agency to one that actively works with other agencies to bring together community resources in a strategic way to address significant social issues. As a result of her vision, the agency has been a trailblazer in such initiatives as the Youth Relations, Aboriginal Relations and Poverty Reduction councils. The latter brings together senior leadership and decision-makers from all sectors, together with community members, to seek and implement solutions to the complex issues of poverty. Appointed to the Premier’s Advisory Council on Education, Poverty and Citizenship since 2010, she is also active on several committees for the United Way of Canada and sits on the board of Imagine Canada, an umbrella organization defending the interests of charities across Canada.
Kathy Mallett is an esteemed leader in Winnipeg’s Aboriginal community and the community-at-large. Since 2009, she has been the co-director of the Community Education Development Association of Winnipeg (CEDA), an inner-city, non-profit organization which grew out of the community school programs of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD). For a decade prior, she was a founding member and executive director of the Original Women’s Network, a training program for Aboriginal women, and is a former co-ordinator of the Urban Native Child Welfare Coalition. Throughout her career, she has helped establish many other Aboriginal service organizations and economic development projects in Winnipeg including the Payuk Inter-Tribal Housing Co-op and the Aboriginal Ganootamage Justice Services. She is a founding member of the Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre, a child and family resource centre, and was the first Aboriginal woman ever elected to the board of the WSD. Her numerous honours include a Manitoba Human Rights Commitment Award.
One of Manitoba and Canada’s premier children’s entertainers, Fred Penner is beloved by children and parents around the world. He has created a family-centred legacy based on his belief in our ability to “make a difference in the life of a child”; exemplified in his many charitable works dedicated to the well-being of children. Mr. Penner’s wife, Odette Heyn, was instrumental in setting his path of entertainment for children and their work in Sundance, a dance company for children, set the wheels of his career in motion. He has performed his award-winning songs, such as the classic, The Cat Came Back, at venues throughout North America. For 13 seasons, he crawled through a hollow log and greeted his television audience in Fred Penner’s Place. The series aired on CBC in Canada and on Nickelodeon in the U.S. An author and narrator of children’s books, he has spoken at many early-childhood education conferences. He has also been a spokesperson for such charitable organizations as UNICEF and World Vision. The recipient of two Juno awards, he has been a member of the Order of Canada since 1991.
Raymond Poirier is an administrator and businessman who has devoted more than 35 years to the protection, promotion and overall development of the francophone communities of Manitoba and Canada. During his involvement with the Société franco-manitobaine (SFM) in 1974 to 1978, he contributed to the creation of several important organizations including the Fédération de l’Âge d’Or du Manitoba (federation of seniors) and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada. He also
co-ordinated the establishment of Francofonds a trust fund dedicated to helping to fund Franco-Manitoban initiatives. As founding president of the Fédération provinciale des comités de parents du Manitoba, he was pivotal to the formation of the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine. He was involved with the establishment of the Manitoba Association of Bilingual Municipalities (MABM) and oversaw the creation of its economic development council, the CDEM, in 1996, serving as its first president. A member of the Order of Canada (2003), he served as honourary consul of France in Winnipeg (1999-2007) and was made a knight in France’s National Order of Merit in 2007.